Budapest R9 (open): Uzbekistan draw India, Gukesh and co. set to face the US

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
9/21/2024 – India were held to their first draw in the Chess Olympiad after Uzbekistan managed to secure draws on all four boards in an intense encounter. Despite the stalemate, India maintain a 2-point lead over their closest rivals. The United States and China both won their matches, joining Uzbekistan in second place with 15 match points. Team USA will face the Indian squad in Saturday's crucial penultimate round, while China will take on Iran as the battle for the top positions intensifies. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

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India still 2 points ahead

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

Leinier Dominguez (United States) beat Sanan Sjugirov (Hungary) in a double-edged struggle | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Amin Tabatabaei, Wei Yi

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, Vincent Keymer

Haik Martirosyan (Armenia) facing Vincent Keymer (Germany) | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Carlsen 0 - 1 Fedoseev

Analysis by Shahid Ahmed

Vladimir Fedoseev, Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen knows there is no way to escape...

Vladimir Fedoseev, Magnus Carlsen

...and soon resigns the game | Photos: FIDE / Michal Walusza


Expert analysis

GM Daniel King

IM Robert Ris


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Standings after round 9 - Open

Rk. Team  TB1 
1 Kazakhstan 16
2 India 15
3 China 14
4 Armenia 14
5 Poland 14
6 United States of America 14
7 Spain 14
8 Germany 14
9 Ukraine 14
10 Georgia 14
11 Vietnam 14
12 Azerbaijan 13
13 Hungary 13
14 Israel 13
15 Mongolia 13
16 England 12
17 Iran 12
18 Bulgaria 12
19 France 12
20 Switzerland 12

...186 teams

Round 10 pairings - Open

Team Pts. MP : MP Pts. Team
Georgia 23½ 14 : 16 25½ Kazakhstan
Vietnam 26½ 14 : 13 25½ Hungary *)
India 25 15 : 14 29½ China
Poland 24½ 14 : 14 25 Germany
United States of America 26 14 : 14 22½ Ukraine
Spain 27 14 : 14 25½ Armenia
Azerbaijan 23½ 13 : 13 22½ Mongolia
Bulgaria 22½ 12 : 13 25½ Israel
France 22 12 : 12 21 Slovakia
Uzbekistan 20½ 12 : 12 23½ England
Latvia 21½ 12 : 12 21½ Turkiye
Iran 24½ 12 : 12 20½ Netherlands
Estonia 21½ 12 : 12 21½ Serbia
Lithuania 21½ 12 : 12 22½ Switzerland
Romania 23 12 : 12 21 Brazil

...93 boards


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

All available games - Round 9 (Open)

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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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