The Indian ladies’s group endured some drama in Budapest however managed to grab a gold medal from the fingers of Kazakhstan within the remaining spherical of the Chess Olympiad.
Group India was main the ladies’s standings on the Chess Olympiad after seven rounds, however spherical 8 noticed them lose an in depth recreation to Poland and so they had been then held to a draw by Group USA. However the Indian ladies’s group claimed gold after their closest rivals Kazakhstan had been held to a draw by USA, whereas the Indian ladies’s group beat Azerbaijan.
The group of Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev, with Abhijit Kunte as captain, was lacking veteran Koneru Humpy, the top-ranked Indian lady on the planet.
On the highest board for India on the Chess Olympiad, Harika had a sobering event, dropping three video games out of the 9 she performed. On board 2, Vaishali additionally endured two defeats in back-to-back video games.
However the Indian group was propelled to gold by 18-year-old Divya, who performed in all 11 video games and scored 9.5 factors to safe a person gold medal on board three. Vantika Agrawal, on board 4, was additionally a revelation, going unbeaten within the event and profitable six of her 9 video games. Tania Sachdev was a gentle presence for India within the 5 video games she performed, not dropping any considered one of them.
The Indian Specific acquired Grandmaster RB Ramesh, one of many high coaches in India, to interrupt down the Indian gamers’ kinds and their personalities:
Harika Dronavalli on the Chess Olympiad
“Harika is a really strong participant. Her model is one thing like that of (Pentala) Harikrishna. You possibly can anticipate extra attracts when she performs and never as many defeats. However this time she had just a few losses. She recovered from that very properly, and on the proper time: with the ladies’s group so near profitable gold. She has lots of expertise on the high stage,” says Ramesh.
Harika Dronavalli reacts after securing her win in Spherical 11 of the Chess Olympiad. (PHOTO: FIDE / Michal Walusza)
Harika herself admitted that her efficiency on Sunday was pushed by guilt.
“This was a roller-coaster trip for me. I’ve by no means performed so unhealthy in a group championship. All the time performed strong. By no means misplaced three video games in a group occasion. This guilt was troubling me. On the final Olympiad, I couldn’t play within the final recreation as a result of I couldn’t even sit. I used to be pregnant and was instructed I may ship anytime. Someplace, I used to be having that guilt that we wouldn’t do our greatest…,” Harika instructed FIDE after profitable her final recreation. “I got here into the Olympiads as a 13-year-old, 20 years again, with a dream to win an Olympiad medal, and at last, it occurred at this time!”
Vaishali on the Chess Olympiad
Ramesh has seen Vaishali’s ascendency from shut quarters, having formed her profession from the adolescence.
“Vaishali did properly for essentially the most half, barring the 2 back-to-back defeats. She additionally recovered properly from these two defeats. It’s a fairly respectable efficiency from her,” was Ramesh’s evaluation.
“Whereas Harika is a positional participant, Vaishali is an aggressive participant. She has to get sure sorts of positions, then every little thing shall be effective. If she will get into positions that she’s not comfy with, she is going to wrestle,” Ramesh factors out.
To simplify a “positionally-inclined participant” from an “aggressive participant”, Ramesh reaches right into a cricket analogy. “A positional participant is like Rahul Dravid, form of. An aggressive participant is possibly a (Virender) Sehwag,” he says.
Divya Deshmukh on the Chess Olympiad
Ramesh heaps reward on 18-year-old Divya, who claimed a person gold medal.
“Divya has been one of the best performer among the many ladies. She’s persistently delivered when required. In powerful conditions, she has gained the match. The entire yr has been superb for her. In each event, she has been steadily gaining ranking factors. She’s in good kind and on this event was even higher.
“She’s an aggressively-inclined participant, relatively than a positionally-inclined one. All of the gamers who’re doing properly on the Budapest Olympiad are energetic gamers. It’s the positionally-inclined gamers who’re having a tricky time. She’s fairly aggressive as a participant, a risk-taking participant who performs for the win.”
Vantika Agrawal on the Chess Olympiad
Speaking about India’s fourth board star, Vantika, who additionally gained particular person gold for board 4, Ramesh says: “Vantika additionally has been doing very properly on the Olympiad. Within the ladies’s part, Divya and Vantika could be the highlights. She’s delivered wins in important moments for the group.”
Tania Sachdev on the Chess Olympiad
Speaking about India’s fifth member, Tania Sachdev, Ramesh says: “Like Harika, Tania has not performed in too many video games on the Olympiad. Each time she’s performed, she’s delivered.”