Reigning World Champion D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa registered victories as India defeated England 2.5-1.5 in Round 7 of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand on Wednesday.
Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa secured wins for India, while Arjun Erigaisi was held to a draw by veteran Michael Adams. Nihal Sarin suffered a defeat against Luke McShane.
Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa defeated Nikita Vitiugov, while Gukesh, playing black, defeated Daniel Howard Fernandez.
The victory helped defending champions India recover after their defeat to hosts Uzbekistan and keep their campaign on track.
In another key encounter, Uzbekistan extended their lead in the standings with a 3-1 victory over China. Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated former World Champion Ding Liren, while Nodirbek Yakubboev defeated Yu Yangyi with the black pieces.
Javokhir Sindarov was held to a draw by Wei Yi, while Mukhiddin Madaminov and Xu Xiangyu also shared the point.
The United States drew 2-2 against Armenia. Robert Hovhannisyan defeated Wesley So, while Awonder Liang secured a draw against Gabriel Sargissian.
Germany defeated Türkiye 3-1, the Netherlands beat Bulgaria 3.5-0.5, and Azerbaijan defeated Greece 3.5-0.5. Uzbekistan 2 and France played out a 2-2 draw.
Women’s section
In the women’s section, B Savitha Shri continued her remarkable run with a seventh consecutive victory as India defeated Germany 3.5-0.5 in Round 7.
Savitha Shri remains the only player at the Olympiad to have won all seven of her games.
Koneru Humpy defeated Dinara Wagner, while Divya Deshmukh beat Hanna Marie Klek. Savitha Shri, playing with the black pieces, defeated Lara Schulze.
The victory kept India in medal contention with two rounds remaining in the competition.
Elsewhere, Uzbekistan defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5, while China and Kazakhstan played out a 2-2 draw. Georgia defeated Poland 2.5-1.5, while Bulgaria beat Ukraine 3-1. (IANS)
