By Our Special Correspondent
All the drama and tension was reserved for the open division match between India B and Uzbekistan on a day when Tania Sachdev helped the hosts to a 3.5-0.5 win over Kazakhstan. R Pragnanandaa, with a pawn and a rook end game, won after two draws on the 2nd and 4th boards.
On the first board, the unbeaten 16-year-old de Gukesh had a titanic battle with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 17. There was a lot of hype over the match - Uzbekistan was the reigning world rapid champion, while the Indian was the one. The youngest to breach the 2700 ratings mark - and it lived up to it.
For most of the match, Gukesh enjoyed a good position with the white pieces, while the early pacer Abdusattorov played catch-up.
But some dubious moves at the end cost Gukesh the game as India came out on top with a tie and a round to spare. What happened at the end was heartbreaking. In an OK position, Gukesh moved the knight to f3. As soon as he made that move, Engines gave Abdosatorov the advantage as long as he recognized the queen to b2.
He did it for a check. This was a mistake because Gukesh lost his knight, giving his opponent more attacking pieces on the board.
As soon as the opponent makes this move, Gukesh, realizing his mistake, likes to bury his head in his hands. With time already running short, he ran out of it and the Uzbek indicated that he had no time to react.
Splitting the two points means Uzbekistan are at the top with 17, where they are tied with Armenia. India B, India A and US are third, fourth and fifth with 16 points respectively (India B has the advantage in tie-breaks).
While it was a disappointing day for India B in the open category, the women's India A team bounced back from the disappointment on Sunday to take a sole lead. Against Kazakhstan, the trio of Koneru Hampi, Bhakti Kulkarni and Sachdev returned with drama-free wins. While Hampi is a welcome return to form after two draws and one defeat in their last three games of the season, 35-year-old Sachdev has powered the top seeds. Her win over Xeniya Balabayeva was her sixth in ten games.
Her importance to the set-up is reflected in the fact that the likes of Hampi and D Harika, who did not feature on Monday, were given a day off (the other drawn R Vaishali has played a total of 10 games so far).
She had to, and she did with little fuss. For example, against Balabayeva, she finished the match in 31 moves. Playing with the white pieces, she went with the queen's pawn. She was a bit loose at first, losing both pawn and knight. But her focus is on long-term positional integrity over short-term gains.
Gradually Balabayeva regained parity after a few moves before entering the half. They shook their rooks in the 23rd raise but by then, Sachdev's pieces were looking better for them. After this the Kazakh faltered her way and the Indian once again erased the mistakes in her own game to win.
Women face US with gold on line
In the women's category, India A knew that a win against the US in the final round of the Olympics would give them their first medal - gold at that - in the event. In the open category, both India B and India A have realistic chances of winning medals. The former will face Germany while the latter will face the US.
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