Indian men's team took a giant step toward Chess Olympiad gold on Thursday. But the same cannot be said of the women's team.Indian men, overnight sole leaders, outclassed Iran - who were second-placed before Thursday's clash - 3.

The Indian men took their tally to 16 points out of a possible 16 to sit top of the standings. Of 32 games played, India haven’t lost a single one.

The Indian men’s team scored yet another thumping victory over Iran by 3.5-0.5 points to stake its claim for the gold medal in the open section of the 45th Chess Olympiad. The Indian men took their tally to 16 points out of a possible 16.

The men's team's statement victory propelled Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh's rating close to the mark of 2800 and this is the first time ever that there are two Indians in top five of the world rankings.

A measure of India’s dominance at the Chess Olympiad is that all four of the Iranians had not lost a single match at the Olympiad. In Round 8 against India, Iran was introduced to defeat thrice.

India suffered a setback in Round 8 of the Chess Olympiad 2024. This defeat was particularly disheartening as it ended India's previously unblemished record in the tournament. The match was fiercely competitive,

India's perfect start at the 45th Chess Olympiad continued after the rest day and both the men's and women's team won their seventh-round ties in cinematic fashion to stay unbeaten. The men overcame China in a tricky tie while the women's team beat Georgia coming back from two early draws in Budapest on Wednesday.

Arjun Erigaisi started the rampage before D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi also picked up wins, while Praggnanandhaa pulled off a draw as India posted a 3.5-0.5 win over Iran.

After his heroics against Wei Yi, Gukesh will face Parham Maghsoodloo on the top board while Praggnanandhaa takes on Amin Tabatabaei.