India men take silver and women claim bronze at FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand
India's men's team secured the silver medal in the open section of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after a 2-2 draw with Hungary in the 11th and final round on Sunday, September 27, 2026. The Indian women's team finished with a bronze medal following a 2-2 draw against Georgia in the final round on the same day.
The draw in the open section ended India's defence of the title as they finished second with 18 match points and 28.5 game points. Dropped points against Hungary confirmed Uzbekistan as the gold medallists; the host nation had defeated Ukraine in the final match but were already champions because of an unassailable lead. Uzbekistan's victory was their second-ever Chess Olympiad title and their first since 2022. Germany finished level with India on match and game points but India took silver on the direct-encounter tiebreak after having beaten Germany earlier in the tournament.
India entered the final day needing a win and favourable results elsewhere to retain the open title. In Round 10 the Indian side defeated Uzbekistan's second team 3.5-0.5, with R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin and D Gukesh recording victories. In the final round Gukesh lost on Board 4 to Gleb Dudin, while Arjun Erigaisi produced a comeback win over Peter Leko that secured the vital match point. The men's squad comprised Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh D, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi, led by captain Srinath Narayanan.
The Indian women's team had entered the last round needing a win against Georgia to challenge Kazakhstan for the silver medal but the 2-2 draw left them third. Savitha Shri B secured a draw against Meri Arabidze and Koneru Humpy defeated Nana Dzagnidze to clinch the crucial half-points that ensured the bronze. The women's squad featured Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali R, Koneru Humpy, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B, with Swayams Mishra as captain. India were the defending women's champions, having won the title in Budapest 2024, and finished behind gold medallists China and silver medallists Kazakhstan.
Savitha Shri B's form during the event included a decisive result in a must-win match against China, and she finished a run noted in reports as 8.5 out of 9 with a performance rating of 2629. China had established an unassailable two-point lead at the top of the women's standings before the final round, which confirmed their gold medal.
The final standings from the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad confirmed Uzbekistan as open champions and India as runners-up, while in the women's competition China took gold, Kazakhstan silver and India bronze.