FIDE Women's Chess Championship: India stops France, to meet Kazakhstan in quarterfinals

Bhakti Kulkarni and Mary Ann Gomes won the lower boards while D. Harika and Tania Sachdev drew on the top two boards.

D. Harika (in picture) and Tania Sachdev drew on the top two boards.

India scored an expected 3-1 victory over lowly-ranked France to finish second in Group A at the conclusion of the league phase of the FIDE World women’s team chess championship at Sitges, Spain, on Wednesday. Bhakti Kulkarni and Mary Ann Gomes won the lower boards while D. Harika and Tania Sachdev drew on the top two boards.

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In Thursday’s two-set quarterfinals, India will take on Kazakhstan, which finished third in Group B. The results:

Fifth round

Group A: India bt France 3-1 (D. Harika drew with Marie Sebag; Tania Sachdev drew with Andreea Navrotescu; Bhakti Kulkarni bt Natacha Benmesbah; Mary Ann Gomes bt Silvia Alexieva); Armenia lost to Russia 1-3; Azerbaijan bt Spain 3.5-0.5. Group B: Georgia bt FIDE Americas 3-1; Germany lost to Ukraine 0.5-3.5; Kazakhstan bt Poland 3.5-0.5.  

Fourth round

Group A: Russia bt India 3-1 (Aleksandra Goryachkina drew with Harika; Alexandra Kosteniuk bt R. Vaishali; Kateryna Lagno bt Tania Sachdev; Polina Shuvalova drew with Mary Ann Gomes); France lost to Azerbaijan 0.5-3.5; Spain lost to Armenia 0.5-3.5. Group B: Poland drew with Georgia 2-2; Ukraine bt Kazakhstan 2.5-1.5; FIDE Americas drew with Germany 2-2. Thursday’s Quarterfinal line-up: India-Kazakhstan; Russia-FIDE Americas; Georgia-Azerbaijan; Ukraine-Armenia.