Chess

FIDE world women’s team championship: India stuns Georgia, enters final

India upstages former champion and third seed Georgia for a place in the final of the FIDE world women team chess championship.

Rakesh Rao
New Delhi 01 October, 2021 22:04 IST

Tania Sachdev (in picture) beat Meri Arabidze. - BISWARANJAN ROUT (FILE)

Rakesh Rao
New Delhi 01 October, 2021 22:04 IST

R. Vaishali provided the lead and Tania Sachdev finished the job for a 2.5-1.5 victory in the second set as India upstaged former champion and third seed Georgia for a place in the final of the FIDE world women team chess championship at Sitges, Spain, on Friday.

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In the other semifinal, top seed Russia - conqueror of India in the league - defeated Ukraine in straight sets.

Amid mounting tension, after India led 1.5-0.5 following Vaishali’s victory on the second board, a previously-undefeated Mary Ann Gomes slipped into an inferior position. Tania held in the Indian hopes and finally got it right to give India a memorable victory over the former champion.

The results (semifinals)

Set 1: Georgia drew with India 2-2 (Nana Dzagnidze drew with D. Harika; Nino Batsiashvili drew with R. Vaishali; Lela Javakhishvili bt Bhakti Kulkarni; Salome Melia lost to Mary Ann Gomes);

Russia bt Ukraine 2.5-1.5.

Set 2: India bt Georgia 2.5-1.5 (Harika drew with Dzagnidze; Vaishali bt Batsiashvili; Tania Sachdev bt Meri Arabidze; Mary lost to Lela Javakhishvili).

Ukraine lost to Russia 1-3.

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