India and Russia declared joint winners

India and Russia were on Sunday declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection and server malfunction.

Russia were initially declared winners after two Indian players — Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh — lost out on time in the final after suffering a disconnection with the server.

India lodged a protest against the controversial decision which was reviewed.

This was the first time Fide, the international chess federation, was holding the Olympiad in an online format, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.