Chess
India finishes 4th at Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities
India finished fourth at the first-ever Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities held in Belgrade, Serbia.
India, on Saturday, finished fourth at the first-ever Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities held in Belgrade, Serbia.
The five-member Indian team comprising of Soundarya Kumar Pradhan, IM Shashikant Kutwal, Gangolli Kishan, Darpan Inani, and Naveen Kumar finished behind the teams from Poland, the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA), and Philippines in the standings.
India were on top of the standings mid-way through the tournament before slipping down to number 5 at end of the penultimate fifth round. They then bounced back in the sixth and final round to finish fourth.
India started the tournament with a 4-0 win over Panama in the first round before defeating Cuba and Israel with a margin of 3-1 in the second and third round respectively.
They were then held to a 2-2 draw by Hungary before losing 1-3 to eventual winners Poland in the fifth round. With an outright win required to earn a podium finish the Indians were held to a 2-2 draw by Philippines in the final round.
Kishan Gangolli was the standout player for India scoring 5 points in 6 rounds, while captain IM Shashikant Kutwal managed 4/6.
Darpan Inani and Naveen Kumar scored 3.5 and 2.5 points respectively in the 5 games they played, even as Soundarya Pradhan lost both the matches he was given a look in.