China won the 46th FIDE Women's Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, securing gold even while missing their top four players. The title is not meant to demean or take away from the winning team as they are super strong in their own right.
China left out world champion Ju Wenjun, former champion Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie, who together make up the entire women’s top four in the world.
Women's Podiums and Final Standings
| Place / Medal | Team | Match Points |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | China | 20 |
| Silver | Kazakhstan | 18 |
| Bronze | India | 17 (tiebreak) |
Key Individual Performers for China
- Zhu Jiner: Board 1 Gold (7/9 score)
- Lu Miaoyi: Board 3 Gold (9.5/11 score)
Song Yuxin won board-two bronze, and Yan Tianqi and Zhai Mo also played. Yan and Zhai suffered the team's only losses.
Ok I admit it their top board Zhu Jiner is World No. 4 so does not qualify to be categorised in the 'B' team - hence the double quotes to the title. :)
So China, by deliberate design or not, has managed to field a younger and cumulatively weaker (in ELO) team and still managed to emerge champion!
