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The 45th International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Olympiad is currently underway in Budapest, Hungary. The event kicked off on September 10 at the BOK Csarnok venue and is scheduled to conclude on September 23.
The tournament features 184 teams in the open section and 196 teams in the women’s section. FIDE has decided to follow the Swiss format for the tournament, which means each team will play 11 rounds, and at the end, the team with the most points will become the ultimate champions. The Chess Olympiad is held every two years, with the last edition being hosted by India in Chennai. In 2022, during the Chennai edition, Uzbekistan won the gold medal, while Armenia and India won silver and bronze medals, respectively.
In the ongoing Chess Olympiad, India is leading the points table in both the open and women’s sections after round 8. The men’s team, featuring Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna, remains undefeated with 16 points. Meanwhile, the women’s team, led by Harika, Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev, despite losing their round 8 match, continues to hold the top position with 14 points.
Men’s team with unbeaten streak
The Indian men’s team has been on an absolute roll at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad. They started their campaign with 4-0 wins over Morocco and Iceland, before beating Hungary B and Serbia 3.5-0.5. They then went on to beat Azerbaijan 3-1, Hungary 3-1, and Iran 3.5-0.5, securing their position at the top of the points table with a perfect 16 points. India is followed closely by defending champions Uzbekistan and hosts Hungary with 14 points each.
FIDE Chess Olympiad Open Section points table
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| Rank | Team | Games | Points |
| 1 | India | 8 | 16 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 8 | 14 |
| 3 | Hungary | 8 | 14 |
| 4 | China | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | United States of America | 8 | 13 |
| 6 | Iran | 8 | 13 |
| 7 | Vietnam | 8 | 12 |
| 8 | Germany | 8 | 12 |
| 9 | Spain | 8 | 12 |
| 10 | Ukraine | 8 | 12 |
Women’s team looking for gold
The Indian women’s team, despite losing to Poland by 1.5-2.5 in their round 8 match, is still chasing for gold medal. They started their campaign by beating Brazil and Czechia by 3.5-0.5. They then went on to beat Switzerland 3-2, France 3.5-0.5, Kazakhstan 2.5-1.5, Armenia 2.5-1.5, and Georgia 3-1 before finally losing to Poland. The Indian women’s team is currently on top with 14 points, with Poland and Kazakhstan trailing them in second and third positions, also with 14 points each.
FIDE Chess Olympiad Women’s Section points table
| Rank | Team | Games | Points |
| 1 | India | 8 | 14 |
| 2 | Poland | 8 | 14 |
| 3 | Kazakhstan | 8 | 14 |
| 4 | United States of America | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | Armenia | 8 | 13 |
| 6 | Ukraine | 8 | 13 |
| 7 | China | 8 | 12 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 8 | 12 |
| 9 | Vietnam | 8 | 12 |
| 10 | Spain | 8 | 12 |
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