BAKU, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The women's team of China won gold medal at the 42nd Chess Olympiad which concluded here on Tuesday.
China beat defending champions Russia 2.5-1.5 in the final round to collect 20 points in total to win the first gold in 12 years.
After Guo Qi lost to Natalija Pogonina in the opening game, Tan Zhongyi and Ju Wenjun beat their opponents to take a 2-1 lead to secure the gold medal.
World champion Hou Yifan drew with Alexandra Kosteniuk in the last game for her first chess Olympiad gold medal.
China, which won four consecutive titles of the event between 1998-2004, wrapped up the 11-round tournament with nine wins and two draws.
Poland, which beat Hngary 3.5-0.5 in the last round, won the silver medal with a record of 8 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. Ukraine, which also collected 17 points, finished third by 7-3-1.
In the Open section, the United States edged off Ukraine for the gold medal. Both teams finished with 20 match points but the U.S. had the upper hand according to the Sonneborn-Berger score system, as the U.S. won by 413.5-404.5.
Organized by the FIDE, the event featured 181 male and 142 female teams from 176 countries in Open and Women sections.
Seven countries, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Kosovo, Liberia and South Sudan, competed at the tournament for the first time.
