India has kept the lead in the 2024 Olympiad, after a 2-2 draw with defending champions Uzbekistan. All 4 games were drawn, although at least a couple of them had plenty of fight in them. They still hold a 2 point lead over 2nd place, but with 2 rounds to play, they still need to be careful.
The chasing pack on 15 points has now grown to 3 teams. USA beat Hungary 2.5-1.5 and now play India in Round 10 (Seeds 1 & 2 finally meet). Uzbekistan gained a point from the draw, while a 2.5 - 1.5 win by China over Iran also saw them join the group. A win for India pretty much secures them overall victory, as their tie-break is well ahead of everyone else's.
Australia bounced back from some poor results with a win over Angola. However this wasn't without drama, as they were only ahead 2-1, with one game in progress. Zong Yuan Zhao was pushing for a win in a R+2p v R+p ending, with his opponent trying to claim a draw by repetition not once but twice. Although both claims were incorrect, the absence of the players from the board while checking the 2nd claim, convinced the venue that the game was finished. As a result the main lights in the venue were turned off, plunging the game into semi-darkness. The game had to then be moved to a location with better lighting, and another 30 moves were played until the draw was achieved.
New Zealand beat Nicaragua 3.5-0.5, and now play Hungary C. This has some importance as IM Sravan Renjith has slim chances of a GM norm, but needs to finish with 2 IM/GM opponents. Papua New Guinea must have used up all their luck in the previous round, going down 0-4 to Bahrain. As a result Guam has moved ahead in the unofficial Pacific Islands league, after they beat Granada 2.5-1.5. Fiji had a 4-0 win of Antigua, Palau lost to Bahamas 1.5-2.5, while Vanuatu lost by the same score to Niger.
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