India Defends Overall Title With Silver and Bronze at Chess Olympiad

India successfully defended the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand on Sunday by finishing as the best overall nation. The latest victory comes after the country secured a silver medal in the Open section and a bronze medal in the Women's event. This result marks the third consecutive edition where India has won the overall trophy, following wins in Chennai in 2022 and Budapest in 2024.

Open Section

Both Indian squads entered the final round as defending champions. In the Open section, host nation Uzbekistan won the gold medal to repeat their 2022 triumph. India earned the silver medal following a hard-fought two-all draw against Hungary. Both India and Germany finished tied on eighteen match points and twenty-eight point five game points, but India took the silver due to a direct head-to-head win over Germany, leaving the German team with the bronze.

Women's Section

In the Women's category, China put on a dominant performance to claim the gold medal with a round to spare. Kazakhstan took the silver medal, while India secured the bronze after playing out a two-all draw against Georgia. That crucial draw was anchored by a win from Koneru Humpy on the top board alongside a clutch defensive hold by teenager Savitha Shri B. Created by FIDE, the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy goes to the country with the best combined performance across both sections, measuring overall bench strength and depth.