Chess Olympiad: India leads Group A, ahead of China and Germany
China, India, and Germany won all three matches on the first day of play at the Top Division of the Online Chess Olympiad.
Since India won its matches by a bigger score, they top the group temporarily, ahead of the theoretical favorite, China. India only conceded one defeat and two draws in the 18 games played so far.
China and Germany won’t cross swords until the 6th round (Saturday), while the decisive match China will not happen until the 9th and last round (Sunday).
Round 1
China 5 : 1 Uzbekistan
Zimbabwe 0 : 6 India
Germany 3½ : 2½ Indonesia
Mongolia 2 : 4 Vietnam
Georgia 2½ : 3½ Iran
Round 2
Indonesia 1½ : 4½ China
Vietnam 2 : 4 India
Iran 2½ : 3½ Germany
Mongolia 3 : 3 Georgia
Uzbekistan 5½ : ½ Zimbabwe
Round 3
China 4 : 2 Iran
India 5½ : ½ Uzbekistan
Germany 4½ : 1½ Mongolia
Georgia 2 : 4 Vietnam
Zimbabwe 0 : 6 Indonesia
This vent is FIDE’s response to the postponement of the “traditional” Chess Olympiad, which was planned to take place between Moscow and Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) in August, 2020. Involving more than 3,000 participants, the event was rescheduled to 2021, shortly after the IOC had also announced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
With the support of Gazprom as General Partner, the government of the Ugra region as Official Partner, and Chess.com as the playing platform, the first FIDE Online Olympiad is the latest example of how chess has adapted to the coronavirus crisis. Despite having to cancel all official events played over the board -including flagship competitions like the Candidates Tournament and the World Championship match-, chess has thrived during the global lockdown.
Official website for the Olympiad: