Asian Games
Asian Games 2023 Chess: Gujrathi misses Podium, Women Grandmasters disappoint
India misses the podium, with Vidit Gujrathi finishing fifth and Arjun Erigaisi in sixth. Koneru Humpy placed Seventh, and D Harika came fourth.
FILE PHOTO: Indian chess ace Vidit Gujrathi (Photo credit: FIDE)
Indian chess players missed the podium at the Asian Games, with Vidit Gujrathi losing in the final round. Vidit Gujrathi and Arjun Erigaisi finished fifth and sixth, both with 5.5 points. D Harika took the fourth position, while Koneru Humpy ended up seventh with 5.5 points.
Vidit Gujrathi's medal hopes were dashed in the final round when he lost to Uzbekistan's GM Javokhir Sindarov.
Erigaisi secured 5.5 points with a victory over Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh, despite showing some inconsistency in his performance, similar to his compatriot.
Gujrathi, on the other hand, experienced a tough middle phase but made a comeback in the fifth round, where he defeated Iran's Parham Maghsoudloo. He also managed to surprise Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the former world Rapid champion of Uzbekistan. However, despite this, Gujrathi couldn't maintain a consistent performance to secure a strong finish.
In the women's event, Harika and Humpy faced each other in the eighth round, resulting in a draw. Harika had a notable win against defending champion Jiner Zhu in the final round, but it wasn't enough to secure a medal. Humpy had a strong start by winning the first two rounds before facing difficulties in rounds three and four.
Humpy and Harika had a promising start, winning the first two rounds, but they faced challenges and struggled in rounds three and four.
In the men's event, Wei Yi from China secured the gold with 7.5 points, followed by Abdusattorov with 7 points, and Sindarov with 6.5 points.
In the women's event, Jiner Zhu took the gold with 7 points, followed by Umida Omonova and Hou Yifan from Uzbekistan, both with 6.5 points.
