NOVEL NEXT Chapter 313: A Tough Defeat
Unlike on board 3, where everything went as Laysa planned, the game between Medina and Harika Dronavalli on board 2 was definitely the game that Medina wanted to get over as quickly as possible. In this clash, she was getting outplayed even from the beginning of the game, not being able to get any room to breathe, just within the first ten moves.
Harika Dronavalli really showed why she was one of the best women's players in the world, playing a clean game without any nonsense shenanigans allowed on the board.
The woman managed to take advantage of Medina's eagerness to rush forward at the beginning of the game to push back, locking all of Medina's pieces on her own territory without any room to move freely. Even though the Indonesian IM didn't really make that much of a mistake, Harika managed to occupy a lot of strategic squares, which in the end allowed the Indian GM to slowly convert it into her own advantage.
Of course, the game wasn't really that perfect. Harika sometimes also made a few inaccurate moves that would give Medina a chance to fight back. However, that mistake was so subtle that even Medina herself couldn't find it on the board, finally wasting away the opportunity that was given to her.
However, things started to go in Medina's favor once the game between Laysa and Vaishali was over. It seemed that Harika also felt the pressure here, as the Indian GM needed to win this game to keep the hope of winning this matchup alive.
Harika suddenly got too anxious, starting to march her king forward while all she needed to do was simplify things. As a result, the evaluation bar moved back slightly, close to equal, and while the GM still had the advantage, now Medina had a chance to create a counterplay, and if she was not careful, the woman could say goodbye to this game.
Unfortunately, Medina couldn't really take advantage of all the chances that were given to her. It seemed that she was really determined to lose in this game, as whenever Harika made a mistake, the woman doubled it down with a more outrageous mistake that would only put her closer to the death door.
This time, she was being too afraid of the rook that had already infiltrated the second rank and was very close to breathing down her neck, so the woman pushed all of her pawns to escape from Harika's grasp. It was a huge mistake, though, as if anything, the move only made Medina lose all of her pawns within the next few moves, basically burying her hope to avoid the L in this game.
"Yeah, it is not an easy endgame to navigate," Anna said solemnly. "Sister Medina has already done her best, but it is not enough to allow her to escape from this pit hole. Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli really does a good job today, going for an all-out attack since the beginning of the game to kill Sister Medina swiftly. It seems that the matchup will be tied soon."
BerryLigrt5: Damn! Just when I thought that we could do it!
Hilda99: Well, you cannot blame Medina for this. The opponent is in the top ten of the rankings for the women's category in the world, so it is very hard for her to avoid the L.
BerryLigrt5: Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though.
Sheva also felt pity here, especially when he saw Medina's stressed face on the screen. The boy really wanted her to succeed, not only because she represented the country, but also for all of her support in the last couple of days. Unfortunately, this was the cruelty of a professional game. No one could create an upset in every round, and those who were at the top were there for a reason. It was understandable for Medina to lose against Harika Dronavalli, so while the viewers also regretted this, no one blamed the woman for this loss.
"It seems that Master Irene's situation is also not very good." Sheva let out a deep sigh when the computer shifted to board 1. "She is down two pawns, and Humpy Koneru has two advanced pawns that are already crossing the fifth rank. It is unstoppable at this point, and soon, we will also see the resignation on the board."
Now, the boy started to pity Laysa. For all the hard work that the girl did, it seemed that no one was able to follow her steps here. Even Claudia was the same. Even though at one point, the girl had a chance to win the game, Tania Sachdev managed to neutralize all of her threats, turning the game into an equal one with no way to create something.
Even though the matchup was still far from over, anyone who was not blind would be able to tell that Indonesia was about to lose this round, and while it was not a shame to lose against the top-seeded team, the hope that Laysa gave was enough to make this defeat hurt more for them.
"There it is…" After fifteen more minutes, Bagas sighed in defeat as he saw that the handshake was made on boards 1 and 2 almost simultaneously. "Both Master Irene and Master Medina have resigned from the game, and now India is back with the 2-1 lead against us. Our only hope now is for Claudia to pull a miracle and win her game against Tania Sachdev on board 4."
"Unfortunately, Bagas, that seems to be something impossible right now." Sheva shook his head, also feeling disappointed. "They are in the middle of the endgame phase, with both having three pawns and an opposite color bishop. You ask even Magnus Carlsen himself, and he would tell you that this is a draw. No chance that Tania Sachdev will throw the game."
Claudia herself also started tearing up on her chair. She felt her soul leaving her body when Irene and Medina resigned almost at the same time, and the mere thought of her making the team lose the matchup was enough to make her cry on the spot. Unfortunately, that couldn't change anything here, as Tania Sachdev ruthlessly denied all the pawn advancement plans that Claudia was trying to pull.
In the end, after shuffling for more than 20 minutes, the fifty-move rule was called by the Indian IM, and after the arbiter checked it, the game was finally over. Even after the miraculous win by Laysa, Indonesia still lost against India's first team 2.5-1.5, giving them the first taste of defeat in the Olympiad.