India Dominates Chess Olympiad 2026 with Strong Wins

India has made a remarkable start at the Chess Olympiad 2026, achieving convincing 3-1 victories in both the Open and Women's sections. With key wins from players like Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh, the team remains unbeaten, showcasing their strength against formidable opponents. The Women's team also excelled, with Savitha Shri maintaining a perfect record. Discover how India's chess players are making their mark in this prestigious tournament.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 20, 2026, 08:28 IST

India's Impressive Performance at Chess Olympiad 2026

Samarkand [Uzbekistan], September 20: India continued its remarkable journey in the Chess Olympiad 2026, achieving impressive 3-1 victories in both the Open and Women's sections on Saturday. The Open team triumphed over Spain, while the Women's team secured a win against Mongolia, marking their fourth consecutive victory.

Key contributions came from Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh, who both secured wins, while R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin managed to draw their matches, solidifying the team's overall success, according to the FIDE website.

Gukesh showcased his skills by defeating Alexei Shirov in just 42 moves, while Erigaisi achieved a 36-move victory against Maksim Chigaev.

On the top board, Praggnanandhaa drew his game against David Anton after 38 moves, and Nihal Sarin also held Jaime Santos to a draw after 30 moves, contributing to India's 3-1 victory over Spain.

This result keeps India among the elite teams with a flawless record of four wins in four matches in the Open section. Other unbeaten teams include China, the host nation Uzbekistan, Germany, Armenia, the USA, the Netherlands, and Hungary.

In the Women's section, India maintained its perfect record as well, defeating Mongolia 3-1. Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri both won their games, while the matches on the top two boards ended in draws. Savitha remains unbeaten with a perfect score of 4/4.

Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali concluded the results with draws on the first two boards. Humpy shared the point with Bat-Erdene Mungunzul after a lengthy 82-move game, while Vaishali drew with Turmunkh Munkhzul after 75 moves.