During the third round of the World Team Chess Championship in Jerusalem, India impressively defeated Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5 thanks to Vidit Gujrathi’s victory over Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on Monday.
To remain in contention for a quarterfinal spot from Group B, India was desperate for a win after drawing 2-2 with lower-ranked Israel and Poland on Sunday.
Ensuring the country’s entry into the last eight, Vidit remarkably held off Mamedyarov, who resigned from the white side after 34 moves, to achieve India’s much-needed victory.
🇮🇳 Vidit prevails against 🇦🇿 Mamedyarov; India defeats Azerbaijan and scores its first win. #FIDEworldteams
📷: Lennart Ootes pic.twitter.com/G6XauAtqnh
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 21, 2022
Meanwhile, Nihal Sarin, S L Narayanan, and K Sasikiran drew with Teimour Radjabov, Gadir Guseinov, and Rauf Mamedov, respectively.
With four match points to their name, India now shares the top spot in Group B with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. With two points each, Poland, Israel, and the USA are tied for fourth place.
China leads Group A with six points, followed by Ukraine with four points, France and Spain both with three each, the Netherlands with two and South Africa with zero points.
Four teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals after the round-robin league. These rapid games are played in a time format of 45 minutes per player plus a 10-second increment per move.
