Astana (Kazakhstan): The Indian men scored an expected yet crushing 3.5-0.5 victory over last-minute entrants Sweden while the women got off to a flier by holding higher-ranked Georgia in the first round of World Teams Chess Championships, here Tuesday.
Grandmaster B Adhiban delivered the goods on the top board for the men with a finely-crafted game with white pieces, laying the foundation of a huge win.
The others did not disappoint as Surya Shekhar Ganguly cruised home against Axel Smith while S P Sethuraman defeated Linue Johansson. On the second board Krishnan Sasikiran conceded a half point to Erik Blomqvist.
As things stand, India, China, Russia, USA and England share the lead with two match points apiece while the remaining five contestants are yet to open their account.
In the women’s section it turned out to be a good start by the Indian eves as they were able to match the Georgian ladies 2-2, thanks to some spirited display by Soumya Swaminathan on the second board.
Soumya came good against Meri Arabidze to restore parity for the team while Odisha’s Padmini Rout suffered a defeat at the hands of Nino Batsisashvili. On the top board Eesha Karavade held her front against Bela Khotenashvili while on the fourth Bhakti Kulkarni kept her cool to a safe passage against Melia Salome.
PTI
