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Find below videos from the venue by Arne Kaehler and expert analysis by GM Daniel King and IM Robert Ris.
India's winning streak was halted by Uzbekistan in round 9 of the Chess Olympiad. All four games ended in draws, making Uzbekistan the first team to hold India to a draw in Budapest. The match was far from dull, however, as both Arjun Erigaisi (India) and Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) found realistic winning chances during their respective games, adding excitement to the close contest.
Despite the draw, India maintain a 2-point lead over three teams: Uzbekistan, the United States and China. Both the US and China secured victories on Friday with identical 2.5-1.5 scores. As in the previous round, each match featured three draws and one decisive result, with Leinier Dominguez and Wei Yi delivering the crucial wins for the US and China, respectively.
Leinier Dominguez (United States) beat Sanan Sjugirov (Hungary) in a double-edged struggle | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Wei Yi (China) defeated Amin Tabatabaei (Iran) with black | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
A further five teams stand a point further back, with Slovenia being the lowest-rated among them. The Slovenians have performed impressively, boasting the second-highest score on individual boards behind India, with 26½/36 points. Their win on Friday came against Norway, as Vladimir Fedoseev defeated Magnus Carlsen, handing the former world champion his first loss in the event. This marked Fedoseev's fourth consecutive win in Budapest.
Hungary, Ukraine, Serbia, and Armenia also remain in the hunt for top places with 14 match points each. Armenia, led by Haik Martirosyan, pulled off a surprise win over seventh-seeded Germany in round 9, as Gabriel Sargissian defeated Matthias Blubaum on board 3, while the remaining three games ended in draws.
These results set up a crucial clash between the top two seeds for Saturday, with the US needing to beat India to stay in the race for gold. If the match ends in a draw, the US would only have a mathematical chance of catching India in the final round, but the Indians have a significantly superior tiebreak score. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan and China will face off in the other pivotal encounter of the day.
Haik Martirosyan (Armenia) facing Vincent Keymer (Germany) | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Analysis by Shahid Ahmed
Magnus Carlsen knows there is no way to escape...
...and soon resigns the game | Photos: FIDE / Michal Walusza
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 263,5 | |
| 2 | India | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 279 | |
| 3 | China | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 296 | |
| 4 | Armenia | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 275 | |
| 5 | Poland | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 266,5 | |
| 6 | United States of America | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 265 | |
| 7 | Spain | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 264 | |
| 8 | Germany | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 243,5 | |
| 9 | Ukraine | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 243,5 | |
| 10 | Georgia | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 240,5 | |
| 11 | Vietnam | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 238 | |
| 12 | Azerbaijan | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 238 | |
| 13 | Hungary | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 236 | |
| 14 | Israel | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 228,5 | |
| 15 | Mongolia | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 224,5 | |
| 16 | England | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 227,5 | |
| 17 | Iran | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 217,5 | |
| 18 | Bulgaria | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 217,5 | |
| 19 | France | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 217,5 | |
| 20 | Switzerland | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 214 |
| No. | Team | Pts. | MP | : | MP | Pts. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 23½ | 14 | : | 16 | 25½ | Kazakhstan |
| 2 | Vietnam | 26½ | 14 | : | 13 | 25½ | Hungary *) |
| 3 | India | 25 | 15 | : | 14 | 29½ | China |
| 4 | Poland | 24½ | 14 | : | 14 | 25 | Germany |
| 5 | United States of America | 26 | 14 | : | 14 | 22½ | Ukraine |
| 6 | Spain | 27 | 14 | : | 14 | 25½ | Armenia |
| 7 | Azerbaijan | 23½ | 13 | : | 13 | 22½ | Mongolia |
| 8 | Bulgaria | 22½ | 12 | : | 13 | 25½ | Israel |
| 9 | France | 22 | 12 | : | 12 | 21 | Slovakia |
| 10 | Uzbekistan | 20½ | 12 | : | 12 | 23½ | England |
| 11 | Latvia | 21½ | 12 | : | 12 | 21½ | Turkiye |
| 12 | Iran | 24½ | 12 | : | 12 | 20½ | Netherlands |
| 13 | Estonia | 21½ | 12 | : | 12 | 21½ | Serbia |
| 14 | Lithuania | 21½ | 12 | : | 12 | 22½ | Switzerland |
| 15 | Romania | 23 | 12 | : | 12 | 21 | Brazil |
