The 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India is nearing the end of its first week during which Kazakhstan showed a smashing performance with four matches won by both women's and men's teams, Qazmonitor reports citing the International Chess Federation.
The Olympiad started on July 28 and will run until August 10. So far, the teams have played five matches each, with one draw for the women's team and one loss for the men's team.
The women's team line-up consists of Zhansaya Abdumalik, Guliskhan Nakhbayeva, Bibisara Asaubayeva, and Ksenia Balabayeva.
Since the start of the Olympiad, the women's team beat Guatemala (4-0), Belgium (3-1) and Peru (3-1). The fourth match with Mongolia ended in a draw (2-2). In the latest match, the team defeated Cuba (3-1).
The men's team is represented by Rinat Dzhumabayev, Alisher Suleimenov, Arystanbek Urazaev, and Kazybek Nogerbek.
Kazakhstan ended the first match with a victory against Taiwan, PRC (3-1), but suffered a loss against Tajikistan (1.5-2.5). The men's team made a comeback in the third round by winning Lebanon(4-0), then Morocco(2.5-1.5) in the fourth. The players completely shattered Latvia (4-0) for their fifth match.
Kazakhstan currently ranks 6th in the women's category and 17th in men's.
The sixth match will be held on August 3. The women's team will face off against Azerbaijan while the men's team will play against the Czech Republic.
