Budapest R10 (open): India beat the US, all but secure Olympic gold

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
9/22/2024 – India all but secured overall victory in the Chess Olympiad after defeating the United States in the penultimate round. Wins by Dommaraju Gukesh (pictured), who outplayed Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi, who beat Leinier Dominguez, granted the Indian team the crucial match victory over the tournament's top seeds. Only China can theoretically catch India in the final round, though it is highly improbable, given India's commanding tiebreak scores. China kept their slim hopes alive by defeating the defending champions from Uzbekistan on Saturday. | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

ChessBase 18 - Mega package ChessBase 18 - Mega package

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

More...

Gukesh and Arjun cannot be stopped

Find below videos from the venue by Arne Kaehler and expert analysis by GM Daniel King and IM Robert Ris.

Only one team has remained undefeated in either section of the Chess Olympiad: the Indian squad in the open section. After beating the United States on Saturday, India have all but secured a very deserving overall victory. The two players who have led the team to such an astounding performance were once again the protagonists in round 10: Dommaraju Gukesh, who defeated Fabiano Caruana for the second Olympiad in a row, and Arjun Erigaisi, who outplayed Leinier Dominguez. India won by the smallest of margins, as Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu suffered the team's first defeat of the tournament against Wesley So.

Similarly, China won their round-10 match against the defending champions from Uzbekistan by a 2½-1½ score. World champion Ding Liren grabbed half points in the last two rounds after missing rounds 7 and 8 - he held Nodirbek Abdusattorov to a 34-move draw with the black pieces on Saturday. China's Wei Yi and Yu Yangyi scored wins to offset Wang Yue's loss on board 4 against Shamsiddin Vokhidov. Yu has been the standout player for China, with a 7/9 score and a 2813 Tournament Performance Rating.

These results left China 2 points behind India, which means China would need to win and India to lose on Sunday for them to end the event tied for first place. Even in this unlikely scenario, given India's remarkable form, China would need to surpass India on tiebreaks (Olympiad Sonneborn-Berger) to claim gold. This is not very feasible, considering India's steady run in Budapest. In the final round, India will face the inspired Slovenian squad, while China will play against the US.

Wei Yi

China's Wei Yi | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Standing in sole third place are Slovenia. The 26th seeds are clearly over-performing after obtaining back-to-back upset wins over Norway (6th seeds) and the Netherlands (5th seeds). While Vladimir Fedoseev managed to defeat none other than Magnus Carlsen on Friday, it was Matej Sebenik who became the hero of the team in round 10, as he defeated Dutch GM Benjamin Bok in the one decisive game of the match. Slovenia might benefit from India playing it safely on Sunday, as the Asians only need a draw to secure gold, having done all the hard work in the first 10 rounds of the event.

Standing 1 match point behind third-placed Slovenia are no fewer than eight teams, all still with chances of reaching the podium. Besides the aforementioned United States and Uzbekistan, Hungary, Spain, France, Ukraine, Serbia and Armenia all belong to this group. One attractive matchup featuring two of these teams will be the game between Alexei Shirov, playing white for Spain, and Richard Rapport, as two highly creative stars face off in a crucial encounter for the final standings.

Vladimir Fedoseev

Slovenia's Vladimir Fedoseev | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

Richard Rapport

Hungary's Richard Rapport | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

India 2½ - 1½ United States

Gukesh's victory over Fabiano Caruana came after the latter blundered in time trouble. The US star had been defending fiercely, but his 34...Qg6 allowed his opponent to eliminate Black's main counterattacking weapon.

Gukesh v. Caruana

Instead of 34...Qg6, Black should play 34...Ng6 and after 35.Bf5 there is 35...Qc2, defending the all-important passer on the d-file - granted, the pin on the knight looks dangerous, which might have persuaded Caruana not to enter this line.

In the game, Gukesh soon grabbed the d-pawn and simplified into a winning endgame with two extra pawns.

Caruana resigned the game in this position.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 5 Nf6 4 2.c4 5 e6 3 3.g3 6 d5 27 4.Bg2 7 Nc6 12 5.Nf3 2:36 Rb8 24 6.cxd5 13:46 Bb4+ 15 7.Nc3 21 exd5 9 8.Bg5 3:04 White is slightly better. h6 4:16 9.Bxf6 10 Qxf6 16 10.0-0 3:27 Bxc3 2:34 11.bxc3 6 0-0 10 12.Nd2 4:35 Ne7 5:55 13.e3 2:25       Be6 12:11 14.Qa4 12:53 a6 2:35 15.e4 4:13 c5 21:50 16.Qa3!± 1:06 b6 3:13 17.Rab1 11:16 17.Qxa6?! cxd4 18.cxd4 Qxd4 17...Rfe8 16:45 18.dxc5 12:21 d4 1:31 18...bxc5 19.Rbc1 19.Qxc5 Rbc8= 19...d4 19.c4 12:25 19.Rxb6 with more complications. dxc3 20.Nb3 c2 21.Na1 19...Qg5 2:45 20.Rfd1 51 bxc5 3:45 21.f4 45       Qh5 2:55 22.f5 37 22.Qxa6 Qe2 23.Nf1 Ra8 23...Qxc4 24.Qxc4 Bxc4 25.Rxb8= 23...Bxc4 24.Qd6= 22...Rxb1 6:15 23.Rxb1 2 Qe2! 16 24.fxe6 3:38 Qxd2 5 25.exf7+ 3:21 Kxf7 3 26.Qxc5 1:22 Qh5+ would now be deadly. Kg8! 1:07 27.Rf1 37 27.h4 keeps more tension. Kh7 28.Rb7 Ng6 29.Qf5 27...Kh7! 1:42 28.Qe5 4:28 Bh3 is the strong threat. Qe3+! 1:59 29.Kh1 2 d3 5       aiming for ...d2. 30.Bh3 1:34 And now Kg2 would win. d2! 5:13 31.Bg4 12 Qd3 36 31...Rd8!= 32.Qxe7 d1R 33.Rxd1 33.Bxd1 Rxd1 34.Qf7 Qxe4+ 35.Kg1 Rd2= 33...Rxd1+ 34.Bxd1 Qf2 32.Kg2 11 Qxc4 6
33.a4 2:04       Black needs to defend precisely. Qc6 2:44 34.Qd4 1:01 Qg6 1:27
Against Rf7. This costs Black the game. 34...Ng6= and Black is okay. 35.Qxd2 Qxe4+ 36.Bf3 Qxa4 35.Rf4!+- 1:17 Qg5 2:24
35...Rb8 36.Qxd2 Qg5 36.h4! 27 Less strong is 36.Qxd2 Ng6 37.Bf5 Kh8 38.Bxg6 Qxg6= 36...Qg6 1:25 Avoid the trap 36...Qa5? 37.Rf7 Rg8 38.Rxe7+- 37.Qxd2 2 Hoping for Qd7. Rb8 23 38.Qd7 1:03 Prevents Qc6. h5 47 39.Be6 45 Black must now prevent Bf7! Rb6 32 40.Bf7 30 Qd6 7 41.Qxd6 2:21 Rxd6 3 42.Bxh5 17 Nc6 24 43.Be2 6:38 a5 1:53 44.Bb5 1:14 Ne5 2:33 45.Rf5 22 Re6 12 46.Kf2 31 Weighted Error Value: White=0.08 (flawless) /Black=0.21 (precise) . Loses game: --- Black=1 Mistake: White=1 Black=4 Inaccurate: White=3 Black=1 OK: White=16 Black=10 Best: White=1 Black=5 Strong: White=3 Black=5 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gukesh,D2764Caruana,F27981–0202445th FIDE Olympiad 202410.1
So,W2752Praggnanandhaa,R27501–0202445th FIDE Olympiad 202410.2
Erigaisi,A2778Dominguez Perez,L27481–0202445th FIDE Olympiad 202410.3
Aronian,L2729Vidit,S2720½–½202445th FIDE Olympiad 202410.4

Fabiano Caruana, Dommaraju Gukesh

Seen from above - the position (already winning here) Gukesh had with white against Fabiano Caruana in round 10 | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Expert analysis

GM Daniel King

IM Robert Ris

ChessBase TV presents

David Smerdon - "I ❤️ to play against any chess nation in the world!"

Velimir Ivic - "I recently read Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual again!"

Standings after round 10 - Open

Rk. Team  TB1 
1 India 19
2 China 17
3 Slovenia 16
4 United States of America 15
5 Uzbekistan 15
6 Ukraine 15
7 Serbia 15
8 Hungary 15
9 Armenia 15
10 Spain 15
11 France 15
12 Azerbaijan 14
13 Germany 14
14 Turkiye 14
15 Romania 14
16 Georgia 14
17 Iran 14
18 Greece 14
19 Poland 14
20 Bulgaria 14

...186 teams

Round 11 pairings - Open

Team Pts. MP : MP Pts. Team
Slovenia 29 16 : 19 31½ India
Spain 26 15 : 15 24½ Hungary *)
China 26½ 17 : 15 27 United States of America
Uzbekistan 26½ 15 : 15 26 France
Serbia 25½ 15 : 15 25½ Ukraine
Armenia 25 15 : 14 24 Iran
Bulgaria 25½ 14 : 14 28 Germany
Georgia 25½ 14 : 14 24 Poland
Brazil 24 14 : 14 25½ Azerbaijan
Romania 24½ 14 : 14 24 Moldova
Kazakhstan 26 14 : 14 25 Turkiye
Chile 21½ 14 : 14 25 Greece
Netherlands 24½ 13 : 13 25 Lithuania
Italy 24 13 : 13 24½ Norway
England 23½ 13 : 13 23 Slovakia

...93 boards

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

All available games - Round 10 (Open)

Loading...
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.

Links

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.
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.