India were announced the joint winners of inaugural FIDE online Chess Olympiad alongside Russia following a dramatic finish in the finals on Sunday (August 30). India dominated Russia in the majority of the encounter and looked set to win the championship. However, two Indian players were declared to have lost on time due to issue in their internet connection. Owing to which, Russia was able to come back in the clash and the match eventually ended in an intriguing draw. The official Twitter page of the International Chess Federation confirmed the result of the game. Koneru Humpy Defeats Poland Chess Grandmaster Karo Monika Socko to Qualify for Finals of FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020.

Owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE announced the Olympiad for the first time in online format. The Indian team, being represented by Captain Vidit Gujrathi, former world champion Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy, D Harika, young prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, Pentala Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh. India dominated the group stages and advanced to their maiden finals in the tournament's history. They were even set to be the lone winners. However, they had to share the title with Russia owing to the controversial finish. “Dramatic finale of the ultimate match at the #ChessOlympiad: Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh lost their games on time,” wrote the apex Chess body on the micro-blogging website. Have a look.

View Post:

In another tweet, ICF declared that FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich would be awarding gold medals to both India and Russia. “FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made a decision to give gold medals of FIDE Online #ChessOlympiad to both teams - India and Russia,” wrote International Chess Federation.

View Post:

Fans weren’t quite amused with the decision as they raised questions over the tournament. In fact, India have also filed and official appeal against the result and FIDE said the issue is under investigation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2020 07:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).