India defeated France 3-1 in the fifth and final round, riding on wins from Bhakti Kulkarni and Mary Ann Gomes, to finish second in Pool A and qualify for the quarter-finals of the FIDE World Women’s Team Chess Championship here on Wednesday.

India will take on Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals. Earlier in the fourth round, India lost 1-3 to Russia late on Tuesday. In the third round, India had beaten a strong Armenia 2.5-1.5. India finished the league phase with three wins, a draw and a loss.