Budapest R3 (women): Uzbekistan beat Hungary, 16 teams tied for first

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
9/14/2024 – The third round of the Women's Chess Olympiad in Budapest delivered excitement and surprises, with both upsets and closely fought draws reshaping the tournament landscape. The mix of expected results and surprises left 16 teams tied sharing the lead, all with perfect scores of 6/6. The biggest upset was suffered by the local squad, as Hungary were defeated by Uzbekistan. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

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Big teams are held to draws

After three rounds at the Women's Olympiad, 16 teams have perfect 6/6 scores. These teams represent some of the strongest chess nations in the world, but notably, they include one of the tournament's biggest surprises so far: Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan delivered the upset of the third round by defeating Hungary, the 12th seed, by a 2½-1½ score. On board 1, Afruza Khamdamova made the most of Gaal Zsoka's blunder in a pure rook endgame to grab a full point. On board 3, Umida Omonova also triumphed with black, securing another crucial point for Uzbekistan. Their performance is a testament to the rising strength of chess in Uzbekistan, and the team will be one to watch closely in the upcoming rounds.

Besides Hungary's setback, four more teams that entered the Olympiad as serious contenders for the top spots were held to surprising draws by lower-rated opponents, highlighting the depth of talent across the competition. Georgia, seeded 2nd, were held to a draw by Romania, the 22nd seed. Poland, seeded 3rd, drew against Greece, seeded 23rd, as Ekaterina Pavlidou upset Aleksandra Maltsevskaya on board 3. Azerbaijan, seeded 10th, faced a tough battle against Argentina, seeded 26th, with the match ending in a draw. Finally, Germany, seeded 11th, were held to a draw by Slovenia, seeded 28th, in another hard-fought match.

Laura Unuk

Slovenia's Laura Unuk held Germany's Dinara Wagner to a draw with the black pieces | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

While team scores are essential in the Olympiad, individual performances also stand out, and China and Vietnam have been particularly dominant. Both teams have accumulated an impressive 11½/12 points on individual boards, placing them as strong contenders for podium places going forward. A standout player from China has been Lu Miaoyi, the 14-year-old prodigy who has won all three of her games. Her perfect 3/3 score reflects her incredible talent and composure, even at such a young age.

Round 4 promises even more excitement, with several high-stakes matches that will see top teams battling to stay in the leading group. India will face a tough challenge from France, while China's match against England is set to be one of the highlights of the round, with the possibility of a clash between 14-year-old Lu Miaoyi and 9-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan. Ukraine, the defending champions, will face Türkiye in a match that could have major implications for the standings.

Meanwhile, Georgia, Poland, Azerbaijan, and Germany will be looking to bounce back after their draws. With exciting matchups lined up for round 4, the competition is only heating up, and every round brings new surprises as teams vie for the coveted Olympiad title in Budapest.

Pham Le Thao Nguyen

Vietnam's Pham Le Thao Nguyen, playing on the top board, has a perfect 2/2 score so far in the event | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

Two beautiful checkmates

Georgia would have likely defeated Romania had Bela Khotenashvili not blundered into checkmate in her game with black against Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu.

35...Qxe2 loses at once to 36.Qxh7+, due to 36...Kxh7 37.Rh3#. The battle would have kept going after 35...Rxd4+ since, for example, 36.Qxh7+ fails to 36...Kxh7 37.Rh3+ Qh4.

Irina Bulmaga, Nana Dzagnidze

Georgia facing Romania, with Nana Dzagnidze playing white against Irina Bulmaga on the top board (1-0) | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

India's Divya Deshmukh, currently on 3/3, delivered checkmate with a pawn in her game with black against Switzerland's Sofiia Hryzlova.

The white king is stuck in the centre - 32...f3# put an end to the game.

Alexandra Kosteniuk, Harika Dronavalli

India beat Switzerland by a 3-1 score, with wins on boards 2-4 - Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Harika Dronavalli | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza


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Standings after round 3 - Women

Rk. Team  TB1 
1 United States of America 6
Spain 6
England 6
4 China 6
5 Bulgaria 6
France 6
7 India 6
8 Uzbekistan 6
9 Ukraine 6
Serbia 6
11 Vietnam 6
12 Armenia 6
13 Turkiye 6
Netherlands 6
15 Kazakhstan 6
Mongolia 6
17 Poland 5
Argentina 5
19 Georgia 5
Azerbaijan 5

...169 teams

Round 4 pairings - Women

Team Pts. MP : MP Pts. Team
India 10 6 : 6 10½ France
Denmark 8 4 : 4 9 Hungary *)
England 11 6 : 6 11½ China
Ukraine 9 6 : 6 10 Turkiye
United States 11 6 : 6 10 Netherlands
Spain 11 6 : 6 Mongolia
Serbia 9 6 : 6 Kazakhstan
Armenia 11 6 : 6 11½ Vietnam
Uzbekistan 6 : 6 10½ Bulgaria
Georgia 9 5 : 5 Greece
Romania 9 5 : 5 10 Poland
Slovenia 5 : 5 9 Azerbaijan
Argentina 10 5 : 5 9 Germany
Bosnia & Herzegovina 7 4 : 4 8 Switzerland
Italy 7 4 : 4 8 North Macedonia

...84 boards


  • Full pairings and standings on Chess-Results: Open | Women
  • All games on Live.ChessBase.com: Open | Women

All games - Round 3 (Women)

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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