India captured the silver medal in the World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad which concluded on Monday in Konya, Turkey.
Paired against Iran in the final round, India scored a crucial 2.5-1.5 victory to pip China to the second spot. Uzbekistan won the gold medal with eight victories.
The top three boards against Iran had ended in draws, but Woman International Master (WIM) Divya Deshmukh bagged a victory against Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Asadi Motahare to win the tie for India.
Arjun Erigaisi, who won an individual silver medal for his performance on board one, had powered India’s victory against Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5 in the penultimate round. Erigaisi defeated his opponent from a position arising from the French Defence exchange variation.
Erigaisi and Firouzja Alireza battled to a draw in the final round, as the Indian from Telangana with a rating performance of 2678 on board one. Sankalp Gupta, who won an individual bronze on board three, drew his last game.
In an enthralling game between Divya Deshmukh and Asadi Motahare, Divya converted after sacrificing several pawns, putting the Azerbaijani under pressure. The Indian WIM ended on a stronger note, closing out the match with aplomb.
(With inputs from the AICF website)