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Six matches, six victories - that is the flawless record of the Indian team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. As the team with the second-highest average rating behind the United States, India was certainly anything but a secret favourite. Nevertheless, it is impressive to see the calmness and consistency with which the mostly young Indian players fulfil their tasks. And despite all their successes, they remain humble and do not declare themselves the greatest after a victory.
And this strong and cohesive team also has a high-flyer in its ranks. That is Arjun Erigaisi, who has won all six of his games. His opponents have not been world-class players - so far - but seasoned 2600+ rated GMs. At over 3300, Erigaisi's tournament performance rating really is out of this world.
Endgame essentials you need to know Vol.1 & Vol 2
In this video course, GM Surya Ganguly joins IM Sagar Shah and drawing from his colossal experience, shares some uncommon endgame wisdom. The material mostly features positions with rook against rook and a pawn, and starts by covering the fundamentals.
Arjun Erigaisi | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
However, the four other Indians are hardly inferior. World Championship challenger Dommaraju Gukesh has a TPR of just under 3000 with 4½ out of 5 on board one. Hariskrishna is just over 3000 with 2 out of 2, Vidit is listed on board four with 4½ out of 5 and a TPR of 2788, while Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is actually the 'weakest' in this squad with 3½ out of 5 and a 2742 TPR.
India is the only team that has yet to lose a match point and anyone who thinks that the Indians are heading for the gold medal is not going out on a limb with this assessment. Who can stop the Indians?
The rating favourites of the tournament are actually the US representatives. After six rounds, however, the US grandmasters are already three points behind leaders India. The first three rounds brought three must-win games, but then there was a defeat against Ukraine in round four. Wesley So had a superior position on board one against Vasyl Ivanchuk and was winning, but spoilt the game. In round six, the US team also had to accept a draw against Romania and dropped to 15th place. Fabiano Caruana and Levon Aronian (both on 4½ out of 5) performed well, but their three teammates have all lost a game and are lagging behind expectations.
Carlsen looks at his colleagues' games | Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz
Master Class Vol.17 - Boris Spassky
In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.
Norway, with the world's best chess player on board 1, Magnus Carlsen, has also collected 9 match points and still has to perform strongly in the second half to finish on the podium.
Behind India, Vietnam, China and Iran are sharing second place. If you add Uzbekistan as the best team with 10 points, five teams from Asia occupy the top places. The centre of excellence in chess has clearly shifted to Asia.
Yu Yangyi and Wei Yi | Photo: Maria Emelianova
Wei Yi and Yu Yangyi are the mainstays of the Chinese team. World champion Ding Liren has not yet won a game, and in fact lost to Le Quang Liem. His performance is just over 2600, which has left the world champion as the number 22 in the live ratings list, a phenomenon never seen before. It should be clear to any chess fan who is the favourite in the upcoming World Championship match.
Le Quang Liem, on the other hand, Vietnam's top player, has climbed to 12th place in the daily live ratings list. His teammates Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Le Tuan Minh are also doing extremely well. Vietnam is a medal candidate. Iran has its outstanding player in former world junior champion Parham Maghsoodloo, while defending champions Uzbekistan have Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Shamsiddin Vokhidov as the top performers.
Uzbekistan with captain Vladimir Kramnik | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
The best European teams have 10 points - France, Ukraine and Armenia. Host Hungary is also still in the running for the medals with 10 points.
The best German-speaking team is Austria, in 20th place with 9 points, 11 places above what the seeding list would suggest. Valentin Dragnev stands out on board 1 with 4 out of 6 points. The German team has one of the best tiebreak scores of the teams with 8 points and is only 23rd on the starting list.
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 145,5 | |
| 2 | Vietnam | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 123 | |
| 3 | China | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 119 | |
| 4 | Iran | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 112,5 | |
| 5 | Uzbekistan | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 115 | |
| 6 | France | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 108,5 | |
| 7 | Ukraine | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 105,5 | |
| 8 | Armenia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 104,5 | |
| 9 | Hungary | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 104 | |
| 10 | England | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 104 | |
| 11 | Georgia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 103 | |
| 12 | Serbia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 102 | |
| 13 | Lithuania | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 98,5 | |
| 14 | Netherlands | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 97,5 | |
| 15 | United States of America | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 113 | |
| 16 | Poland | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 107,5 | |
| 17 | Norway | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 105,5 | |
| 18 | Romania | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 94 | |
| 19 | Greece | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 92,5 | |
| 20 | Austria | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 83 |
A double gold for the two Indian teams at the Chess Olympiad is certainly within the realms of possibility, as India is also ahead in the Women's Olympiad, and also with the maximum number of points! The Indians were able to defeat two strong teams in Kazakhstan and Armenia, but the duels with the real contenders for gold are still to come - China, Georgia and Poland will be the touchstones.
The aim of this course is to help you understand how to make tactical opportunities arise as well as to sharpen your tactical vision - these selected lectures will help to foster your overall tactical understanding.
Harika Dronavalli is struggling on the top board and has already lost two games, but Vaishali Rameshbabu and especially Divya Deshmuk are playing outstandingly and are responsible for their team's victories.
Divya Deshmukh | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Georgia and Poland follow 1 point behind. The United States is the best squad in the group of teams with 10 points.
The German team also belongs to this group, with Elisabeth Paehtz leading the way. The eternal German number 1 likes to play on board 2 here and has scored 4½ points in five games, achieving a sensational performance of over 2600.
After the rest day on Tuesday, the seventh round is set to take place on Wednesday.
Elisabeth Paehtz | Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz
Master Class Vol.16 - Judit Polgar
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 137 | |
| 2 | Georgia | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 130,5 | |
| 3 | Poland | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 110 | |
| 4 | United States of America | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 126 | |
| 5 | Armenia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 114 | |
| 6 | Kazakhstan | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 112 | |
| 7 | Mongolia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 110 | |
| 8 | Spain | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 107 | |
| 9 | France | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 107 | |
| 10 | Azerbaijan | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 107 | |
| 11 | Germany | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 105,5 | |
| 12 | Ukraine | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 101 | |
| 13 | Hungary | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 102 | |
| 14 | Bulgaria | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 99,5 | |
| 15 | Peru | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 98 | |
| 16 | Uzbekistan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 97,5 | |
| 17 | Greece | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 96 | |
| 18 | Austria | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 92 | |
| 19 | Netherlands | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 88 | |
| 20 | Australia | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 83 |
