India's men beaten 1.5-2.5 by hosts Uzbekistan in sixth round of Chess Olympiad
India's men lost 1.5-2.5 to hosts Uzbekistan in the sixth round of the Chess Olympiad on Monday, surrendering their sole lead in the open section.
Uzbekistan entered the match as one of the tournament's strongest teams and the pairing was billed as a clash between leading sides; the defending champions India dropped their top position as a result. Uzbekistan moved into sole possession of the lead, advancing to 12 points while India remained on 10. Germany, one of the overnight leaders, also lost to China, further strengthening Uzbekistan's grip on the top of the open standings.
On the boards, R Praggnanandhaa drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Arjun Erigaisi was held by Javokhir Sindarov. D Gukesh secured a draw against Shamsiddin Vokhidov. The match's decisive result came when Nihal Sarin was defeated by Nodirbek Yakubboev, producing the 1.5-2.5 team score.
Nihal Sarin had delivered several strong performances earlier in the tournament but encountered difficulties against Yakubboev on Monday. Yakubboev exploited what the report described as Sarin's unforced errors, steering the game into a queen-versus-two-piece endgame. From that position Yakubboev maintained control and did not allow Sarin a route back into the contest.
Germany's loss to China was noted alongside India's defeat, a combination of results that consolidated Uzbekistan's position at the top of the open section. Those outcomes altered the overnight leaderboard and increased the margin for Uzbekistan at this stage of the event.
In the women's section, India led 2-1 against the United States in round six at the time of the report. Savitha Shri delivered the team's only win of that round, while Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh each drew their games.
The defeat leaves the Indian men with ground to make up in the remaining rounds as the defending champions seek to remain in contention; the sixth-round result also underlined the narrow margins at the top of the Olympiad, where a single match can significantly alter the standings.