India take silver in Open and bronze in Women’s at Chess Olympiad in Samarkand
On September 27, 2026 in Samarkand, India finished second in the Open section and third in the Women’s section at the Chess Olympiad. The host nation Uzbekistan won the Open title and China claimed the Women’s crown.
India entered the event as the defending champion in both Open and Women’s sections but could not replicate the twin success of 2024, although the country secured team medals in both events. China won the Women’s tournament despite not fielding some of its best players, while Uzbekistan emerged as Open champion.
In the final round of the Open section India drew with Hungary 2-2. R. Praggnanandhaa drew with Richard Rapport, Arjun Erigaisi beat Peter Leko, Nihal Sarin drew with Benjamin Gledura and D. Gukesh lost to Gleb Dudin; Arjun Erigaisi’s win on the second board proved crucial.
Uzbekistan finished on 20 points after beating Ukraine 2.5-1.5, leaving India with 18 points, two fewer than the hosts. Germany, which surprised many, took the bronze after a 2.5-1.5 win over the Netherlands; other final-round Open results included USA bt Turkiye 3-1 and France bt Denmark 3.5-0.5.
The Indian women drew with Georgia 2-2 in the final round to claim bronze. Koneru Humpy beat Nana Dzagnidge on the top board, Divya Deshmukh lost to Bela Khotenashvili on the second board, and Vantika Agrawal and B. Savitha Shri both drew their games with Lela Javakhishvili and Meri Arabidze respectively.
India retained the Gaprindashvili Trophy awarded to the nation with the best overall score and finished as the only country to win medals in both the Open and Women’s sections. Individual board medals for India included B. Savitha Shri winning gold on the reserve board (Women), Divya Deshmukh silver on the second board (Women), Koneru Humpy bronze on the top board (Women), Vantika Agrawal bronze on the fourth board (Women), D. Gukesh silver on the fourth board (Open) and R. Praggnanandhaa bronze on the top board (Open).
The final standings in the Open were: 1. Uzbekistan 20; 2-3. India and Germany 18; 4-7. USA, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Hungary 17; 8-10. China, France and Spain 16. The final Women’s standings were: 1. China 20; 2. Kazakhstan 18; 3-7. India, USA, Poland, Armenia and Mongolia 17; 8-10. Georgia, Vietnam and Slovenia 16.
