Arjun Erigaisi leads India to brink of historic gold at Chess Olympiad

Arjun Erigaisi Leads India to Brink of Historic Gold at Chess Olympiad

In a thrilling turn of events at the 45th Chess Olympiad, Arjun Erigaisi has put India on the brink of winning a historic maiden gold in the Open section with a stunning victory over USA’s Leinier Dominguez Perez in the final match of the 10th round. With only a mathematical chance for China keeping the contest alive, India now leads with 19 points, followed closely by China with 17 points and Slovenia with 16 points.

FIDE’s latest post on the matter suggests that China still has an outside chance to catch up to India. “China is now trailing India by two points. If India loses in the final round and China wins, the two teams will share first place. The tiebreaks will then decide the outcome, and although India has a much better tiebreak at the moment, there is still a slim chance China can prevail,” the world chess body stated.

Earlier in the competition, D Gukesh set the Indian men’s team on course with a remarkable victory over USA’s Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh, who is set to compete in the World Championship in November, displayed his skills by defeating the higher-ranked Caruana in a strategic Catalan opening game. Gukesh gained an advantage during the middle game and capitalized on errors made by Caruana to secure a winning position.

In the final game against Perez, Erigaisi sealed India’s victory with a brilliant performance. On the women’s side, Divya Deshmukh’s victory over Ni Shiqun contributed to India’s 2.5-1.5 win over China. R Vaishali’s crucial draw against Guo Qi also played a significant role in securing the team’s victory.

With India and Kazakhstan currently sharing the lead after 10 rounds, both teams sit at 17 points, just one point ahead of USA and Poland. The stage is set for an exciting final round as India aims to clinch their first-ever gold medal at the Chess Olympiad.