Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The fourth round of the World Chess Olympiad has concluded in Samarkand. After the opening four matches, several teams in both the open and women's tournaments remain on maximum points and are among the competition's leaders.
In the open section, China, Uzbekistan, Germany, Armenia, the United States, India, the Netherlands and Hungary all won four matches in a row. All of these teams have collected four match points.
In the women's tournament, India, Kazakhstan, China and the United States remain unbeaten. Each of these teams has won all four matches played.
Before the start of the fourth round, participants observed a minute of silence in memory of Georgios Makropoulos, who held leadership positions at FIDE for many years and made a significant contribution to the development of the chess movement. In particular, during his leadership of the Greek Chess Federation, the 1984 and 1988 Olympiads were held in Thessaloniki.
With the arrival of the Marshall Islands team, the number of participants in the open tournament reached a record 206 teams. One hundred eighty-nine teams are competing in the women's section. Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov visited the competition on the same day.
Open tournament
Uzbekistan's team met Türkiye in the fourth round and secured a 2.5:1.5 victory. Three games ended in draws, and Nodirbek Yakubboyev brought the hosts the winning point on board three.
India got the better of Spain 3:1. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa drew his game. Another match also ended in a peaceful outcome, while Arjun Erigaisi and Gukesh D. brought India the winning points.
The United States comfortably overcame Ukraine, finishing the match 3.5:0.5. Wesley So won his third game in a row. Victories by Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana allowed the American team to secure a major success.
China beat Serbia 3:1. Wei Yi recorded his third consecutive win of the tournament, defeating Aleksandar Indjic.
The Netherlands also maintained a perfect record after beating Greece. Anish Giri won his fourth game in a row.
Germany, Armenia and Hungary also completed the fourth round with victories. Together with the Netherlands, they continue without any dropped match points.
Results of the five main matches in the open tournament:
Uzbekistan — Türkiye: 2.5:1.5
USA — Ukraine: 3.5:0.5
Spain — India: 1:3
Serbia — China: 1:3
Germany — Poland: 2.5:1.5
Women's tournament
Uzbekistan's women's team beat Argentina 3:1 in the fourth round. Umida Omonova brought the team another point and secured her fourth win of the tournament.
India finished their match against Mongolia 3:1. Two games ended in draws, while Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri won their encounters. For Savitha Shri, this victory was her fourth in a row.
Kazakhstan also continued its winning run. In the match against Armenia, the Kazakh team achieved a 3:1 result. Bibisara Assaubayeva secured her first win of the current Olympiad.
The United States inflicted a 3.5:0.5 defeat on Spain. The only half point for the Spanish team was brought by Ann Matnadze. Carissa Yip and Tatev Abrahamyan each scored 3 points out of 3 possible, while Alice Lee won all four games.
China beat Hungary 3.5:0.5. In addition, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland and Serbia completed their matches with victories and joined the ranks of teams that have won all four matches.
Results of the five main matches in the women's tournament:
Uzbekistan — Argentina: 3:1
Mongolia — India: 1:3
Armenia — Kazakhstan: 1:3
China — Hungary: 3.5:0.5
Spain — USA: 0.5:3.5
