The Indian men’s team stumbled over the final hurdle against Hong Kong and settled for a silver medal in the bridge competition at the Asian Games on Friday. India, winners of one gold and two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, lost 152-238.1 to Hong Kong in the gold medal match in Hangzhou. The Indian team comprising Sandeep Thakral, Jaggy Shivdasni, Raju Tolani and Ajay Prabhkar Khare could not challenge the Hong Kong team at any point during the six sessions spread over two days. Trailing 1-2 after the first two sessions, the Indian men made a dismal start, losing the first session of the day 32-42 to Hong Kong.
Trailing 1-3, India needed to win the second session of the day, but Hong Kong emerged as clear 38-17 winners and almost sealed the gold with a 4-1 lead.
Hong Kong confirmed its dominance in the sixth and final session with a 17-12 victory.
Shivdasani said the team was quite satisfied with the silver medal-winning effort.
“You can’t be too disappointed. Last time (in Jakarta) we got bronze, and if you had told me at the start that we would get a silver medal, I would have taken it.
“We were not the favorites. China was the favorite along with Hong Kong, and it was great to beat China in a well-fought semi-final,” he said.
The veteran player said Hong Kong defeated them in the final.
“We were finally defeated by a team that played better than us in the final. They are tough. They are professionals. You have to improve your game,” he added.
On whether bridge should become an Olympic sport, he said: “It has been approved as an Olympic sport, but apparently there is no place for it. I hope it becomes an Olympic sport. That would be great.”
Chess: India Men, Women’s teams remain in second place
Indian men’s and women’s teams put up a strong show to register convincing victories in the eighth round of the chess team competition at the Asian Games on Friday.
The men defeated South Korea 3.5-0.5, while the women defeated Hong Kong 4-0.
After eight rounds, both teams are in second place with one round left to play.
In the India vs South Korea match, D Gukesh went past Junhyeok Lee on the top board, while Praggnanandhaa gained the upper hand over Se Hyun Kwan.
Arjun Erigaisi’s victory over In-Jung Gu came after a close battle that saw the Korean gain an advantage before making a mistake.
Experienced P Harikrishna saved a draw against Ahn Hongjin on the fourth board from what looked like a losing position.
The top-seeded men’s team will meet the Philippines in the final round on Saturday, while Iran will take on South Korea.
In the women’s match, India had no qualms as the quartet of D Harika, R Vaishali, Vantika Agarwal and B Savitha Shri won easily.
With none of the Hong Kong players rated above 2000 (Elo), the powerful Indian lineup defeated their opponents.
In the men’s competition, Iran continues to lead the rankings with 14 match points (two MPs for a win and one for a draw), while India is hot on their heels with 13 MPs, followed by China (12) and Uzbekistan (11).
Among women, China remains in the lead with 15 MPs, two ahead of India in second place, while Kazakhstan is further behind at 11.
India will take on South Korea in the 9th and final round on Saturday, while China will face UAE.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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