Chess Olympiad 2026: India Bounce Back as Women Keep Gold Bid Alive
Chess Olympiad 2026: India鈥檚 Double Gold Defence
The Chess Olympiad 2026 delivered contrasting fortunes for India in Round 7. The defending champions in the Open section recovered from their defeat to Uzbekistan by beating England 2.5-1.5, while the women鈥檚 team strengthened its title defence with a commanding 3.5-0.5 victory over Germany.
Chess Olympiad 2026: Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa Lead India鈥檚 Recovery
India鈥檚 Open victory was secured by D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa, who both won their individual games. Arjun Erigaisi drew with England veteran Michael Adams, while Nihal Sarin suffered his second consecutive defeat, losing to Luke McShane after an 88-move battle.
Praggnanandhaa defeated Nikita Vitiugov, while Gukesh, playing Black, overcame Daniel Howard Fernandez. Those two victories were enough to give India the match despite Nihal’s loss. The 2.5-1.5 result moved India to 12 match points after seven rounds, but Uzbekistan remained alone at the top with a perfect 14/14 after defeating China 3-1.
With four rounds remaining, India therefore has ground to make up in the Open section.
Chess Olympiad 2026: Savitha Shri Keeps Women in Gold Hunt
The women鈥檚 team produced an even stronger response, crushing Germany 3.5-0.5. Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri won their games, while R Vaishali drew with Elisabeth Paehtz.
The standout story is 19-year-old Savitha Shri, who maintained her perfect tournament record. Her victory over Germany鈥檚 Lara Schulze took her to 6/6 after six games, making her one of India鈥檚 biggest individual performers in Samarkand.
India now has 12 match points, just one behind joint leaders China and Kazakhstan, who sit on 13 after their Round 7 draw.
Chess Olympiad 2026: What Comes Next?
India鈥檚 Open team faces Azerbaijan in Round 8, while the women meet Kazakhstan. With four rounds remaining, both Indian teams remain mathematically in the gold-medal race, but the Open side has a larger deficit to overcome.
India entered Samarkand as defending champions in both sections after winning both gold medals at Budapest 2024. The 2026 Olympiad runs from September 16 to 27.
