We are now reaching the final stages of the tournament, with just three rounds left. Every single round of this tournament has had something exciting in it. Round 9 was no exception.
Be sure to check out our prior coverage of the event:
Also, be sure to check out our Olympiad course, featuring tactics and a breakdown of each day’s most important happenings, exclusive for Chessable Pro members.
The action is heating up in Chennai on Day 9 of the 2022 Olympiad!
Today the fans were out in force with HUGE queues to enter playing hall #1, where the top players are. The final rounds look like they’re going to be incredibly busy, so get here early if you want to see your favorite chess players.
All eyes are on the Indian stars as their first and second teams remain in contention for medals. Chessable author Pentala Harikrishna leads the charge for the first team on board one.
Captains, of course, aren’t allowed to bring electronic devices into the playing hall. So it’s back to more traditional entertainment for those who have had enough chess!
Only the coolest people managed to grab the coolest merch from the Chessable booth! 
We’re out of t-shirts now, but if you come by the Chessable booth in the Expo center, you can get a free copy of New in Chess magazine.
What happened in the games?
Armenia was the team to beat going into the round, and a surgent Uzbekistan was the team to finally do it. Armenia had gone undefeated going into the round, but lost 1:3 to Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan will face the teenage phenoms of the India 2 team next.
In the Women’s section, Poland’s Oliwia Kiolbasa has won 9 of her 9 games, with the Polish women defeating the India team.
D Gukesh finally saw his winning streak come to an end with a draw against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan.
Here are the standings after Round 9:
The Uzbek youth are a force to be reckoned with
16-year-old Javokhir Sindarov pulled off a win with Uzbekistan against Samvel Ter-Sahakhyan of Armenia in the first win in Uzbekistan’s triumphant victory against Armenia.
Ter-Sahakhyan had refused a draw by repetition and went on to lose the match.
32.Nf5! After 32…gxf5 33.exf5 Bd7 34.Nh5! White threatens f6,attacks the d-pawn, plus b4 would threaten the c5 knight, which is running out of squares. Black does not have a lot of resources left.
Gukesh’s winning streak comes to an end
D. Gukesh appeared to be indestructible coming into Round 9. Having won 8/8 coming into the round, not even the best of Spain, Armenia, or the USA could stop him.
That was until Round 9 when Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was able to keep Gukesh to a half point with the Black pieces.
Even still, Gukesh is now on a performance of 3031. Absolutely incredible for a 16-year-old.
The final position of the game.
Aronian’s stroke of beauty
Check out the following position from the game between Levon Aronian and Nikolas Theodorou.
22.Bd4!
If 22…Rxd3?? 23.Bxe5+ and the game is over. Black may only block with the queen and mate is imminent.
However, the game went on 22…exd4 23.Qxf3 Qd6!, and Black held on. In fact, Aronian went on to lose this game.
Giri’s sacrifice
In the following position, Giri had just played 35.Rc3. The idea behind this was to neutralize Black’s strong bishop on b4 by offering an exchange.
At the time it was not clear if it was a good idea or not. However, White went on to press for the rest of the game, without being able to convert. The game ended in a draw.
