Indian Chess Teams Score Big Win in Samarkand to Keep Gold Hopes Alive

Match Results

India defeated the second-string Uzbekistan team 3.5 to 0.5 in the tenth round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand on Saturday. R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, and D Gukesh secured the wins that kept India in second place behind the senior Uzbekistan squad. Nihal Sarin won first by defeating Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov. World champion D Gukesh beat Ortik Nigmatov on board four for his seventh tournament win, bringing his score to 8.5 out of 10. Praggnanandhaa won a long match against Jakhongir Vakhidov on the top board. Arjun Erigaisi drew with Abdimalik Abdisalimov, missing a chance for a full four-zero sweep. Arjun has six straight draws and only one win in Samarkand.

Team Trends

Both Indian teams face a pattern where lower boards perform well while top boards struggle. In the women's event, Humpy has three wins, and R Vaishali has one win with two losses on board two. In the open section, Praggnanandhaa's win is only part of four total wins from the top two boards out of 16 individual Indian victories.

Standings

Host nation Uzbekistan leads with 17 match points. India follows closely in second place with 16 match points. Ukraine, Germany, and Hungary trail behind with 15 match points each. Just one match point separates the teams before Sunday's final round. Defending the crown depends on other results, and a silver finish looks most likely.