Indian
Chess Team @ the Tromso Chess Olympiad - In the Reigning World Chess Champion Magnus
Carlsen’s Country, Norway! - created
history by clinching the ‘BRONZ’, a FIRST for any Indian Chess
Team @ the Chess Olympiad, on the eve of Indian Independence Day!
Indian Team consisting of Parimarjin Negi
(6.5/10), Sethuraman (7.5/10), K.Sasikiran (7.5/10), B.Adhiban
(7.5/11) & Lalith Babu (2/3) did a wonderful job for the country on
the eve of 68th Indian Independence Day by winning the ‘BRONZ’!
It also becomes wonderful as the Indian Team found itself on the podium for
the first time, as the presence of the Top 2 players from India - former World Champion Viswanathan
Anand & World 26 P. Harikrishna - was conspicuous by their
absence!
On a day when China annexed the Olympiad chess
gold medal, for the first time ever, India continued grandly from
where they paused on Round 10, where they handed Germany their first team defeat of the event,
winning 2.5-1.5 on the strength of GM Krishnan Sasikiran’s victory with the
black pieces over Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu.
India captured the bronze crushing
Uzbekistan 3.5-0.5. Without losing a match in the last 7
rounds, the 19th-seeded Indian open team tied for the second-third place with
Hungary, Russia and Azerbaijan for silver/bronze medal. On a better tie-breaker
score, Hungary clinched the silver and India the bronze ahead of
Russia, Armenia and several other higher-rated teams.
It is also to be noted that three Indians, Sethuraman,
Sasikiran and Adhiban remained undefeated. India won seven matches, lost one
and drew three for this excellent showing. Krishnan Sasikiran won 2 medals
for India; he won the silver medal for his 7.5/10 performance, on
the third board, as well as the team bronze.
Final Standing:-
Open: 1 China (gold)
19; 2-5 Hungary (silver), India (bronze),
Russia, Azerbaijan 17 each; 6-11. Ukraine, Cuba, Armenia, Israel, Spain,
Belarus 16 each.
