D Gukesh returns to form as India cruise past Italy at Chess Olympiad

D Gukesh returned to winning ways as India beat Italy 3-1 in Round 3 of the Chess Olympiad. Nihal Sarin also won, while India's women's team defeated Greece 3.5-0.5 to remain unbeaten at the tournament.

In Short

• D Gukesh returned to winning ways against Italy at Chess Olympiad
• Nihal Sarin also won as India secured a 3-1 victory over Italy
• India's women beat Greece 3.5-0.5 to remain at the top

World champion D Gukesh returned to winning ways as the Indian men's team defeated Italy 3-1 in the third round of the 46th Chess Olympiad on Friday.

The Indian women's team also continued its strong start to the tournament, beating Greece 3.5-0.5 to remain at the top of the standings after three rounds.

India fielded its strongest men's lineup for the first time in the tournament, and Gukesh made an immediate impact. Playing Black against Sabino Brunello on the fourth board, Gukesh produced a sharp display to dismantle his opponent's defence and secure a convincing victory in just 33 moves.

Gukesh's Queen's Indian Defence led to a dynamic position, with the Indian world champion embracing the complications. He was already close to a winning position around move 20 before completing the job 13 moves later.

Nihal Sarin also continued his impressive run, defeating Francesco Sonis. Playing White in a Trompowsky Attack, Nihal capitalised on an error from Sonis and took control of the game across both flanks. The Italian eventually lost a rook and could not recover.

India's top-board pairing of R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, however, had to settle for draws. Praggnanandhaa was unable to find a breakthrough against Lorenzo Lodici for the second successive day, while Arjun survived some anxious moments against Luca Moroni Jr. before securing the half-point.

The result gave India a comfortable 3-1 victory over an Italy side made up entirely of Grandmasters.

In the women's section, Koneru Humpy led India's charge with a dominant victory over Stavroula Tsolakidou. Vantika Agrawal also picked up a full point against Ekaterini Pavlidou, while B Savitha Shri made it three wins from three by defeating Antonia Christodoulaki.

Divya Deshmukh was the only Indian player to drop a half-point, drawing with Anastasia Avramidou.

India's women's team therefore completed a convincing 3.5-0.5 win over Greece and maintained its position at the top after three rounds.

With eight rounds remaining in the 11-round tournament, the competition will now become significantly tougher as the leading teams begin facing one another. The next few rounds could prove important for India's men's and women's teams as they look to stay in contention for medals at one of the biggest events on the chess calendar.

Results round 3 open: India vs Italy (R Praggnanandhaa drew with Lorenzo Lodici; Arjun Erigaisi drew with Luca Moroni Jr.; Nihal Sarin beat Francesco Sonis; D Gukesh beat Sabino Brunello).

Women: India vs Greece (Koneru Humpy beat Stavroula Tsolakidou; Divya Deshmukh drew with Anastasia Avramidou; Vantika Agrawal beat Ekaterini Pavlidou; B Savitha Shri vs Antonia Christodoulaki).

- Ends