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The Asian Games chess event took an intriguing turn on Tuesday, October 3 when the prominent Indian men's team, which entered as the top seed, settled for a 2-2 draw in a face-off against the formidable Iran. This thrilling encounter occurred during the fifth round of the tournament.
On a parallel note, in the women's team event, the powerful Indian brigade, seeded second, showcased a dominant performance by overwhelming Mongolia with a clean 4-0 victory. Key players Koneru Humpy and R Vaishali were the pillars of this commendable achievement.
With these results, both the Indian men's and women's contingents have clinched the second position on the leaderboard, accumulating eight Match Points each.
Zooming into the key moments of the men's match, India's eminent player D Gukesh faced a setback against Iran's Parham Maghsoudloo. However, the tables turned slightly when R Praggnanandhaa secured a victory over Seyedmohammedamin Tabatabaei. Additionally, India's Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and P Harikrishna reached a deadlock in their respective games against Iranian challengers Pouya Idani and Bardiya Daneshvar. Consequently, the high-voltage match culminated in a balanced outcome, granting both teams shared accolades.
Iran's commendable performance places them at the pinnacle of the table, boasting 9 match points, and establishing them as the ones to watch.
Switching the spotlight to the women's segment, Vantika Agarwal, holding her ground on board three, and the prodigious 16-year-old B Savitha Shri on board four, registered commendable victories against their Mongolian counterparts, Enkthuul Altan-Ulzile and Bayarama Bayarjargal. This comprehensive win amplifies India's contention for the top honors in subsequent rounds.
In another highlight of the women's competition, the top-seeded Chinese team narrowly defeated Kazakhstan with a scoreline of 2.5-1.5. This victory positions China at the zenith of the points table, mirroring Iran's men's team with 9 match points (where a match win earns two points and a draw contributes one).
As the competition progresses, the next rounds promise intense action and strategic masterclasses from these elite chess gladiators.
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