Favorites advance in Chess Olympiad in India

Havana, July 29 (RHC)-- The teams of the United States, India and Norway started today with collective victories in the first of the 11 rounds of the 44th Chess Olympiad, which is being played in the Indian city of Mahabalipuram.

In the most important team competition of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the American team, number one in the competition with an Elo of 2,771, conceded half a unit to Angola, ranked 93rd.

In what can be considered a surprise, the Grand Master (GM) Levon Aronian drew with Black on the first board with the Angolan International Master David Silva, while the following GMs Wesley So, Leinier Dominguez and Sam Shankland also won on the following boards.

On the other hand, India (2,696) easily defeated Zimbabwe 4-0 and Norway (2,692), which rested world champion Magnus Carlsen, also lost half a unit to Lebanon, at the start of the activities of the open section, without distinction of sex.

The teams of Brazil (2,563), Argentina (2,558) and Cuba (2,552), which lead Latin America and the Caribbean, swept their four matches.

Brazil beat Namibia 4-0, Argentina 4-0 against Cape Verde and Cuba also defeated Myanmar 4-0.

In the women's section, the Cubans also beat Uganda 4-0, while the girls from Peru swept Barbados 4-0 and Colombia had the same result against Ethiopia.

India's favored women's squad beat Tajikistan 4-0, while the Ukrainian competitors thrashed South Africa 4-0 and Georgia defeated Iraq by the same score.

The FIDE Olympiad, held for the first time in India, considered the cradle of the so-called science game, established a record of 186 participating countries, 350 teams divided into 188 in the open section and 162 in the women's section.

A total of 1,737 chess players will compete during 11 rounds in the fickle Swiss System in the town of Mahabalipuram, about 50 kilometers from Chennai, the so-called Indian capital of chess and birthplace of the former world champion Viswanathan Anand.