Chennai: Youngster Raunak Sadhwani provided a solid start to India B’s campaign in the opening round match against United Arab Emirates by registering a stunning win against Abdulrahman M at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Chennai on Friday.
Opening round of the Chess Olympiad was inaugurated by the Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur by making the first move on Vidit Gujrathi’s board.
44th Chess Olympiad: Union Sports Minister Thakur inaugurates opening round
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, All India Chess Federation President Sanjay Kapoor and Olympiad Director Bharat Singh Chauhan were also present on the occasion.
The 16-year-old form Nagpur playing his maiden Olympiad, completed the win with the White pieces in a Sicilian defence game lasting 41 moves.
Enjoying space advantage, Sadhwani broke through on the king side after the exchange of minor pieces and dragged the king in a checkmating net with the queen and rooks combining efficiently.
“I am happy to start with a victory. This is my first Olympiad. It feels great to play a good game,” Sadhwani said after the victory. “We want to play good chess. I think the US has the strongest line up but if we play good chess, we can even beat them.” he added.
Also read: Historic 44th Chess Olympiad inaugurated by PM Modi
Adhiban B, Nihal Sarin and Gukesh D will play next for India B, which has rested R Praggnanandhaa for the first round. Each Team comprises five players with four players fielded for the round and one player rested.
For the first time in the history, India has been hosting this prestigious event which will be played till August 10.
FIDE, AICF, & Tech Mahindra Unveil Fan Nxt.Now App at Chess Olympiad
Chennai: The International Chess Federation(FIDE) and the All-India Chess Federation have strengthened their partnership with Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, to launch FIDE’s first ever app for iOS and Android built on digital platform, Fan Nxt.Now, on the sidelines of the 44th Chess Olympiad, organized by FIDE.
Celebrating the importance and popularity of Chess in India, the launch event, held at the Olympiad venue in Mamallapuram, was graced by several eminent personalities including Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President, AICF, Bharat Singh Chouhan, Secretary General, All India Chess Federation, and Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra.
