Indian men score, women trounced

Krishnan Sasikiran scored a fine victory over Amanov Mesgen on the top board to pave the way for India’s victory, and P Harikrishna proved too strong for Meylis Annaberdiev on the second board. GN Gopal and B Adhiban drew on the last two boards.

For the Indian women, it was their second loss in the event, the first coming against Bulgaria.

D Harika was outplayed by Natalia Kosintseva on the top board, Tania Sachdev was outclassed by Nadezhda on the second and S Meenakshi, on the fourth board, proved no match for an in-form Alisa Galliamova. Eesha Karavade played out a draw with World women’s champion Alexendra Kosteniuk on the third board.

With just three rounds left, Ukraine men retained their top position following a draw with Russia One. Russia One shared the second spot with six teams, while India, with 11 points, share the 12th spot.

In the women’s section, India slipped from their overnight joint second spot to joint fourth.