The 19-year-old from Chennai, currently enjoying a stellar debut in the competition, maintained her flawless record by defeating Elnaz Kaliakhmet in a 62-move encounter. Savitha’s victory was the deciding factor in the match, as India found themselves trailing 1-2 following a defeat for R. Vaishali against Alua Nurman on the second board. With Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh both settling for draws in their respective games, the pressure rested entirely on the teenager to force a stalemate in the overall team score.
A clutch performance keeps India in contention
The match against Kazakhstan was a tense affair that appeared headed for a narrow defeat until Savitha capitalized on a late error by her opponent in a rook-pawn ending. Her ability to convert the advantage into a win ensured India walked away with a precious match point, bringing their total to 13 points. India currently sits two points behind the tournament leaders, China, while Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Mongolia follow closely with 14 points each.
In the open section, the Indian men’s team faced a similarly frustrating day, finishing with a 2-2 draw against Azerbaijan. All four individual games involving R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, D. Gukesh, and Vidit Gujrathi ended in stalemates against their respective opponents. Despite the draw, India remains in a competitive position with 13 points, trailing the joint leaders, Uzbekistan and Germany, by a single point. The race for the top spot intensified significantly after Germany pulled off a surprise 2.5-1.5 victory over Uzbekistan, leaving the tournament wide open with only three rounds remaining.
