World Champion Gukesh Saves India With Late Win Against Germany at Chess Olympiad

Defending champions India kept their gold medal hopes alive at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand after securing a narrow 2.5 to 1.5 victory over Germany in the ninth round. World champion D Gukesh pulled off a miraculous 54-move win from a lost position against Alexander Donchenko to seal the match after his teammates drew their games. Earlier encounters saw Nihal Sarin draw with Frederik Svane through a threefold repetition after being brought back following two straight losses. On the top boards, R Praggnanandhaa held a solid draw against German number one Vincent Keymer, while Arjun Erigaisi was blocked by Matthias Bluebaum. In the women's section, India defeated hosts Uzbekistan 3 to 1 to boost their own gold medal chances. Vantika Agrawal beat Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva in 54 moves using white pieces, and Divya Deshmukh ground down Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova in a 72-move game. Koneru Humpy drew with Afruza Khamdamova, and Savitha Shri B managed a draw against Guldona Karimova. Both Indian teams currently sit in second place with two rounds remaining. The women will face tournament leaders China next in a virtual gold medal decider, while the men play the Uzbekistan B team and look for help from Armenia against the senior Uzbekistan squad.