India holds Iran to a 2-2 draw in #AsianGames2022 Team Men's Chess
In the 5th round, Team India scored their 2nd draw of the event - this time against Uzbekistan. However, this time it was an unexpected end rather than a balanced fight through and through.
GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa took down GM Amin Tabatabaei in a highly complex encounter, scoring a very important win. GMs Pentala Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi both had balanced draws.
On the top board, GM D Gukesh was under tremendous pressure from GM Parham Maghsoodloo. Gukesh was even completely lost at some point! But he managed to stabilize the position and it became much easier to hold.
But to everyone's shock, Gukesh resigned in a position in which the computer dictates White can hold a draw! While it looks practically very scary, there is indeed a path to draw the game. This unexpected loss leveled the scores 2-2.
After 5 rounds of play, Iran continues to lead with 9 match points, while India is in clear 2nd place with 8 match points. India takes on China tomorrow!
Photos: Maria Emelianova, Anna Shtourman, Niki Riga, Lennart Ootes
#chess #chessbaseindia #asiangames #hangzhou #china #weareteamindia #praggnanandhaa #biratichessacademy #kunalsir ##chesscoaching
