The second edition of FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2021 commenced on 20 August 2021 with hundreds of participants from all five continents.
The Top division matches of the FIDE Chess Olympiad started on 8th September and will end by the 10th. Last year’s joint victors Russia and India are placed in the Top Division Pool B along with Sweden, Hungary, Egypt, Moldova, China, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, France and Belarus.
The finals are scheduled for the 15th of this month. All the teams that have registered will be ranked based on the FPR or Federation Performance Ranking.
Indian team to defend the 2020 Olympiad title
The Indian chess team has geared up for their second innings at the Olympiad under 5 times world champion Viswanathan Anand. The Indian squad has:
Grandmasters Vidit Gujrathi, B Adhiban, P Harikrishna, and Anand, in the Open category.
GMs D Harika and Koneru Humpy & Woman Grandmasters R Vaishali and Tania Sachdev in the Women’s category.
GMs R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, and in the Juniors Open.
The Junior Girls section has Woman Fide Master Savitha Shri teams and WGM Vaishali R
As the 2020 Olympiad was marred by internet disruptions and server outageS, AICF has brought the Indian team together in Chennai for the 2021 edition.
To quote Viswanathan Anand, at their elite accommodation in Chennai, the team is “together on the same floor (of the hotel), and the atmosphere is very positive”. He said that he found it difficult playing in last year’s Olympiad from home and that he wanted to have a team atmosphere.
Though India will have initial opponents Egypt, Sweden, and France, the main competition is expected to come from China and the 2020 co-winners: Russia.
The Chinese team comprises of Wei Yi, Ding Liren, Ju Wenjun, Hou Yifan, Zhu Jiner and Xu Zhihang while the Russians are Alexey Dubov, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexander Grischuk, Andrey Esipenko, Polina Shuvalova and Alexandra Kosteniuk,
India had a good start against Sweden and Egypt winning 4-2 and 6-0, respectively, as of the first day. However, the France v/s India encounter seemed unstable, ending 3-3.
Will India repeat its victory in the 2020 chess Olympiad?
The 2020 FIDE Olympiad - the first ever online Olympiad - saw a dramatic win for India. The Indian team led by Vidit Gujrati gave a splendid performance despite net outage and gave a leg-up to India’s stature in world chess.
In the finals, Russia was declared winner initially when India’s Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh faced time constraints due to a server disconnection. Following India’s filed complaint, the results were reviewed and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich announced the decision to consider both teams winners.
The question that intrigues everyone’s mind is, “Will India repeat the victory?” On Wednesday, when the Division 1 pool B clashes began, India proved its mettle. India was able to defeat Sweden and Egypt. Although the Indian team struggled when they faced France, the match ended with a threefold repetition. The second day too turned out to be
The Indian team had a smooth run on Day 2 as well, dominating the day with 11.0/12. Though Hungary equals the same points, India has the advantage of more game points and better tie breaks
China was brutally defeated and suffered a loss of 1-5 against India in the 4th round. India defeated another prominent opponent - team Azerbaijan - in the fifth round with 4-2. The game with Belarus went to the 6th round, but the Indian team was able to emerge victorious by a minimum margin.
Conclusion
Winning the current matches will only bring India closer to its win. However, there are playoff quarterfinals, playoff semifinals, and playoff finals to be held on September 13, 14, and 15, respectively. Also, India is set to play against Hungary, Slovenia, and Moldova on September 10th, which will also decide India’s victory in the tournament.
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