CHENNAI: After setback, came the high. Dealt a blow in the sixth-round draw with lowly Mongolia, India bounced back in contention in the Online Chess Olympiad on Sunday, reaching the quarterfinals with wins over Georgia, Germany and China. Only the group toppers secure direct last-8 berths. India, Azerbaijan, Russia and USA claimed those.
India’s challenge on the last day of pool matches was overcoming Saturday’s disappointment as well as strong opponents, especially from Georgia and China. Viswanathan Anand didn’t play after drawing against his Georgian rival in the first match of the day. That India still pulled it off was due largely to the youngsters.
Playing on boards for under-20 players, R Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh registered decisive wins against Georgia and China. In both matches, results of the other four boards games were equal for two teams. Effectively, wins posted by Praggnanandhaa and Divya tilted the balance in India’s favour. Results were 4-2 against Georgia, 4.5-1.5 against Germany and 4-2 against China.
Victory against the Chinese was special, considering that they had beaten India on way to the title in the Online Nations Cup two months ago, “Youngsters posted critical wins, which is thrilling to see. This was important after yesterday’s mishap (losing games following disruptions in power supply and internet connection).
They delivered when the situation demanded. This win was not just about them, but the whole team. (Pentala) Harikrishna played all three games today, (Dronavalli) Harika did well with black pieces. Even the reserves contributed wins. It shows that this team has a lot of depth,” said captain Vidit Gujrathi.
This performance is notable also because of the fact that Anand played just four games out of a possible nine. The former world champ drew three and lost one of those.
“After play in the evenings, we chat together and see how we have done and what we can do. Combinations are chosen according to the strength of the opposition. It’s great to have Anand in those discussions. I take his advice on a lot of things. The final six is chosen on strategic grounds, considering what the team has to against a particular opposition,” said Gujrathi, who himself sat out from three rounds of matches. There were no fresh complaints on the power and internet front, although the players have apparently turned down the federation’s offer to play from star hotels in their cities.