With three rounds to go, India have won all eight of their matches in Budapest without loss of a game, while the top seeded US team is fifth and England 17th

India are fast becoming the clear No 1 nation of world chess, with a ­dominance reminiscent of the ­legendary USSR teams of the 1950s and 1960s. After Thursday’s eighth round (of 11) at the 188-team ­Olympiad in Budapest, and a 3.5‑0.5 victory over second placed Iran, India had won every Open match and totalled 16/16 without losing a single game.

Hungary’s Peter Leko put it well: “India’s way too strong. They are very young, very determined, brilliantly prepared, and also have fantastic chemistry, so it’s a very tough team for anyone to beat.”