Defending champion D Gukesh stated that his decision to play on Board 4 at the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand was his own idea to give India the best chance of winning the tournament.
The 20-year-old defeated Italy's opponent to secure his second win in three games, helping India win 3-1 and pushing him back into the live 2700 rating club after a drop on Thursday.
The top-seeded Indian women's team defeated Greece 3.5-0.5, while former world champion Ding Liren noted that the Samarkand tournament marks his first foreign appearance in two years.