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India defeated Spain 3-1 in Round 4 of the Chess Olympiad, with D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi securing key wins. India’s women’s team also beat Mongolia 2-0.
D Gukesh (Picture credit: PTI)
India continued its strong run in the open section of the Chess Olympiad, defeating Spain 3-1 in Round 4 as world champion D Gukesh produced a clinical victory over former world championship challenger Alexei Shirov.
Arjun Erigaisi gave India an early advantage with a finely crafted attacking win over Maksim Chigaev on the second board. Playing with the white pieces, Arjun reached a dynamically balanced middlegame before launching a kingside attack that exposed weaknesses around the black king. He then invaded the seventh rank with his queen to deliver the decisive blow.
Gukesh followed with an equally impressive victory over Shirov. The Spaniard opted for the Sicilian Taimanov, but Gukesh quickly seized the initiative in the middlegame with firm control of the dark squares.
Under pressure, Shirov sacrificed a rook for a minor piece, but the compensation was insufficient. Gukesh correctly opened up the centre and converted his advantage comfortably in a 42-move game.
The victories from Arjun and Gukesh were enough to secure the match for India, with R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin both settling for draws. Praggnanandhaa was held by David Anton Guijarro, while Nihal drew with Jaime Santos Latasa.
The win was Gukesh’s second in a row after a difficult phase earlier in the tournament, with the world champion looking increasingly assured at the board.
In the women’s section, India also secured a 2-0 victory over Mongolia. B Savitha Shri continued her excellent run with a fourth consecutive win, defeating experienced campaigner Munguntuul Batkhuyag.
World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh also contributed a full point, beating Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar. The two victories gave India an unassailable lead in the match, while Koneru Humpy and R Vaishali were involved in the other games.
India’s open team moved to eight points after four rounds, while the women’s team reached six points.
(With PTI Inputs)
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Ask News18The Indian men’s team defeated Spain 3-1 in Round 4 of the open section at the Chess Olympiad.
Ask News18September 19, 2026, 21:32 IST
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