Starting on 18th April 2015 until 29 April, Chess lovers worldwide have a feast of teamchess. While the men’s World Team Chess Championship 2015 is organized by the Armenian Chess Federation in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia.
Russia, China, Hungary, India, USA, Egypt, Ukraine, Armenia, Cuba, Israel are the participating countries. The Women’s World Chess Team Championship starts in Chengdu, China during the same period. Ukraine, Russia, China Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Poland, USA and Egypt are participating in this contest.
The tournaments will have nine rounds in all among ten teams with each team playing once against the other. There will be four games in each round and the team scoring 2.5 points or above will be awarded with two match points.
On the first day, the 19 April India had mixed fortunes. While men’s team gathered 2 match points the women’s team failed to do so.
Qualified by virtue of a historic bronze medal winning performance in the last chess Olympiad, the Indians will not have services of Parimarjan Negi and B Adhiban who were both a part of the Olympiad triumph. Grandmaster P Harikrishna, the lone Indian in the top fifty of world ranking is the driving force this year. S P Sethuraman, Vidit Santosh Gujarathi and Deep Sengupta are the other members of the team.
In Men’s Team event India earned 2 points today as Harikrishna won against Samy Shoker, Santosh Gujarati won against Adly Ahmad and Deep Sengupta won against Farag Mustaf earned one point each. Sethuraman lost his match to E Mohamed.
The Indian women’s’ team started playing today with Kazakistan and ended with one and half point only. Harika Dronavalli (white) won her match against Saduakassove Dinara. Koneru Humpy (Black) drew her match and shared half point each with Ms. Abdumalik Zhansaya. Padmini Rout (Black) and Gomes Mary Anne (white) lost their match against Nakhbayeva Gulkskhan and Daulera Gulmira respectively.
Chess lovers will keenly watch for the other results in the coming days.