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A thrilling final round awaits in the Women's Chess Olympiad, as four teams still have chances to claim gold. India caught Kazakhstan in the lead after defeating China on Saturday, while Poland and the United States won their respective matches in round 10, and now stand just 1 match point behind the leaders. With the final round starting four hours earlier than usual, at 11.00 local time, the stage is set for a dramatic conclusion to the tournament.
Kazakhstan entered the penultimate round as sole leaders after defeating Poland, with Alua Nurman's fourth consecutive win securing victory on board 4. The 17-year-old was again pivotal on Saturday, drawing a worse position (with a completely closed structure) against Georgia's Bella Khotenashvili, helping her team secure a 2-2 draw. This result was enough for Kazakhstan to retain a share of first place heading into the final round.
India, who were the sole leaders until round 7, caught up with Kazakhstan by defeating China. Divya Deshmukh secured the crucial win for her team on board 3, beating Ni Shiqun in the only decisive game of the match. Divya has been in excellent form in Budapest, scoring 8½/10 points so far. A win in the final round could see her cross the 2500 rating mark and potentially enter the world's top 10 among women players.
Harika Dronavalli (India) playing white against Zhu Jiner (China) - draw in 33 moves | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Poland and the United States kept themselves in the gold medal race with 2½-1½ wins. Poland overcame Germany thanks to Oliwia Kiolbasa's victory over Hanna Marie Klek on board 4, while the United States defeated Ukraine with wins by Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova and Carissa Yip on the top boards. Yip, aged 21, has been the standout player for Team USA, scoring 9/10 points with a remarkable 2607 Tournament Performance Rating - the second highest in the event, behind only Dana Kochavi's 2676 for Israel.
On a side note: Kochavi, rated 2009, won all 8 of her games in Budapest, and will sit out in her team's final match against Iran. It is likely, however, that no game will take place in that match, as Iranian players are prohibited by their government to play against Israel's representatives in sports competitions.
Sunday's top match will be Kazakhstan versus the United States, while India face Azerbaijan and Poland take on Georgia. Although Azerbaijan (seeded 6th) and Georgia (seeded 2nd) are no longer in contention for gold, they remain motivated to secure a spot on the podium.
Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova obtained a crucial victory, over Ukraine's Yuliia Osmak, for the United States | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
Poland's Oliwia Kiolbasa fully focused while playing black against Germany's Hanna Marie Klek | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Georgia could have remained in the fight for gold had Bella Khotenashvili converted her advantage (with black) against Alua Nurman.
With all 16 pawns still on the board, Black needs to find the perfect moment to give up her knight in order to break through with her pawns. Engines, of course, can calculate when to do it - but finding the solution over the board in such a tense match is certainly difficult.
Khotenashvili here played 49...Kb6, when both 49...Nxc3 or 49...Nxb2 are winning. She sacrificed the knight three moves later, but it was not enough to get the win her team needed to overcome the former sole leaders.
The draw was agreed in the following, peculiar position.
Alua Nurman defending a tense, closed position against Bella Khotenashvili | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
Bella Khotenashvili cannot believe what has just happened | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
Out of a sharp variation in the Petroff Defence, India's Divya Deshmukh got a clear advantage over China's Ni Shiqun in the middlegame. Divya got to play a good-looking final move to prompt her rival's resignation.
39.Rxe6 simply wins a piece - 39...fxe6 fails to 40.Qxd6, while 39...Rxe6 fails to 40.Qxf7+ followed by capturing the rook.
Divya Deshmukh v. Ni Shiqun | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 339 | |
| 2 | Kazakhstan | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 321 | |
| 3 | United States of America | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 333 | |
| 4 | Poland | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 324 | |
| 5 | Spain | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 322,5 | |
| 6 | Armenia | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 318 | |
| 7 | Georgia | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 307 | |
| 8 | Hungary | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 303 | |
| 9 | Azerbaijan | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 295,5 | |
| 10 | China | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 355 | |
| 11 | Vietnam | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 295,5 | |
| 12 | Ukraine | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 295 | |
| 13 | Germany | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 291,5 | |
| 14 | Romania | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 271,5 | |
| 15 | Bulgaria | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 270,5 | |
| 16 | Argentina | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 269,5 | |
| 17 | Serbia | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 265,5 | |
| 18 | Uzbekistan | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 255,5 | |
| 19 | Turkiye | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 252,5 | |
| 20 | Italy | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 233,5 |
| No. | Team | Pts. | MP | : | MP | Pts. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 27½ | 17 | : | 16 | 28½ | United States of America |
| 2 | Hungary *) | 28 | 15 | : | 15 | 29 | Spain |
| 3 | India | 27½ | 17 | : | 15 | 26 | Azerbaijan |
| 4 | Poland | 27 | 16 | : | 15 | 25½ | Georgia |
| 5 | Armenia | 27½ | 15 | : | 14 | 26½ | Germany |
| 6 | China | 31 | 14 | : | 14 | 28 | Vietnam |
| 7 | Ukraine | 24 | 14 | : | 14 | 26 | Romania |
| 8 | Italy | 23½ | 14 | : | 14 | 25 | Bulgaria |
| 9 | Turkiye | 24 | 14 | : | 14 | 23½ | Uzbekistan |
| 10 | Serbia | 24 | 14 | : | 14 | 27 | Argentina |
| 11 | Austria | 22 | 13 | : | 13 | 24 | France |
| 12 | Slovakia | 23 | 13 | : | 13 | 22½ | Netherlands |
| 13 | Mongolia | 24 | 13 | : | 13 | 24 | Sweden |
| 14 | Norway | 23½ | 13 | : | 13 | 24½ | Switzerland |
| 15 | Peru | 25 | 13 | : | 13 | 25 | Greece |
