FIDE Chess Olympiad:
Iran defeats France in women’s third round
Iran’s women’s national chess team secured an impressive 3-1 victory over France in the third round of the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday.
Iran recorded two wins and two draws against the French side, with Melika Mohammadi and Mobina Alinasab coming out victorious against Marie Sebag and Deimante Daulyte-Cornette, respectively.
Anousha Mahdian and Mitra Asgharzadeh, meanwhile, shared the spoils with their respective opponents, as the Iranian quartet – captained by Amirreza Pourramezani – celebrated its third team victory in as many outings ahead of the fourth-round clash against Serbia.
Friday’s victory, which lifted Iran to 10 points, was particularly notable as all four French players had higher ratings than their four Iranian players. Iran, however, produced a strong performance to pull off one of the upsets of the third round.
In the open event, meanwhile, Iran’s men’s team drew 2-2 with Belgium. Mohammad-Amin Tabatabaei and Reza Mahdavi claimed victories for Iran, while Bardia Daneshvar and Mahdi Gholami fell to their respective opponents.
Iran began its open campaign with a 4-0 victory over Mozambique before defeating Bolivia 3½-½ in the second round.
The 46th edition of the biennial Chess Olympiad will conclude with the Round 11 pairings on September 27.