India dominated the Chess Olympiad in all categories

India has officially become the nation to beat in chess. This was reaffirmed once again by the latest edition of the Olympiad, which ended yesterday in Budapest. In the two main events, Open and Women’s, the gold medal went to players from the Asian country, who also took home four category awards: in the Open, Gukesh and Erigaisi were ‘the best’ on the first and third boards; the same recognition, on the third and fourth boards, for Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal in the Women’s. The Olympiad requires that, in each match, four chess players from each side challenge each other and it is the overall result, or the sum, of these matches that determines who wins. But there are other numbers that contribute to the story of the Indian domination: in the Open tournament, out of 11 total rounds, the balance was 10 victories (including those against the United States, China, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Iran) and only 1 draw (the 2-2 with Uzbekistan). In the women’s tournament, the record was similar with 9 victories, 1 draw (the United States) and 1 defeat (Poland). A stumble, the latter, that could have cost dearly but that, in the end, did not prevent the Indians from climbing to the top step of the podium.

A great satisfaction for the federation and the government of New Delhi that, on chess, especially after the victory that escaped in Chennai, at home, two years ago, have involved personalities and sponsors, invested many human resources and many rupees to reach this goal. In short, as the Indian media write The new “Golden Age” of chess has officially begun. All attention will now be on Singapore where, in December, 18-year-old Gukesh will try to wrest the world crown from China’s Ding Liren, bringing it back to India where it has been missing since 2013 when Magnus Carlsen wrested it from Viswanathan Anand, the strongest player (so far) India has ever produced.

And Italy?

To evaluate the performances of the Italian men and women, you shouldn’t look at the final position. The 43rd place in the Open tournament, and the 34th in the women’s tournament, only tell us that the two teams fought to get as high as possible but, also because of the last defeat, they remained in the very large group, behind the most titled teams. To draw a balance, it is therefore necessary to analyze the performances in the two individual events a little more in depth. In the Open, for example, the team captained by Loek van Wely obtained 6 victories, 1 draw and 4 defeats. Five successes came against all those national teams considered ‘inferior’ for Elo, respecting the expectations of the day: Dutch Antilles, Kosovo, Paraguay, Mexico and Peru. Added to all this is the incredible scalp obtained against the very strong Netherlands, fifth in the world ranking. The draw, against another ‘giant’ of this sport, Azerbaijan, can also be included in the category of ‘feats’, considering the strength of the opponent. The defeats against England, France, Hungary and Norway (without Carlsen) all came after hours and hours of fighting on the board, sometimes for details, other times for inaccuracies that cost dearly. But they were all narrow failures that showed the growth of a well-oiled group, composed of veterans Daniele Vocaturo and Sabino Brunello and the three players on whom we will certainly bet in the near future: Lorenzo Lodici, Luca Moroni and Francesco Sonis. None of these ‘lost’ too much Elo score, the result of a certain consistency in overall performance, with Lodici who, distinguishing himself on the second board, tenth place overall for him, earned almost 20, thanks also to the performances against opponents of great caliber such as Anish Giri, Peter Leko and Micheal Adams.

The women’s team lacked a breakthrough against one of the ‘big’ teams but the record, 6 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, certainly cannot be considered insufficient. The Italians, led by Roberto Mogranzini, overcame Guernsey, Paraguay, North Macedonia, the Philippines, Luxembourg and Finland. The defeats against China, Germany and Bulgaria, all clearly ahead in the standings, could have happened and the two draws, against the approachable Iran and the very strong Azerbaijan, compensated for themselves. Within the Italian team, composed of Brunello, Sedina, Gueci, Zimina and Sala, the first experience at the Olympics of the latter, 17 years old, must certainly be praised, undefeated until the last round against Bulgaria. For the player from Lombardy, 18 Elo points earned and a solidity, combined with a good dose of courage, which give hope for her future with the Italian jersey.

Russia and Belarus’ (failed) attempt to return to the circuit

The General Assembly of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) also took place during the Olympiad, with a vote that was eagerly awaited in the chess community. The federations, expressing their general disapproval, rejected Kyrgyzstan’s proposal to readmit Russia and Belarus, which could have created a precedent of danger in the world of sports where the two countries were sanctioned after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, consideration will be given to allowing players under the age of 12 or with disabilities to participate in events. “After careful consideration, the majority of FIDE Council members concluded that the current circumstances do not provide sufficient grounds to support the motions of the Kyrgyz Chess Union,” a statement from the FIDE Council said before the vote.