Nihal Sarin and D. Gukesh propel India to 3-1 win over Italy at Chess Olympiad in Samarkand

Nihal Sarin and D. Gukesh secured key victories as India defeated Italy 3-1 in the third round of the Chess Olympiad at Samarkand on Friday. Arjun Erigaisi held on for a draw against Luca Moroni in one of the day's final games.

On the top board, R. Praggnanandhaa split the point with Lorenzo Lodici while Nihal beat Francesco Sonis and Gukesh overcame Sabino Brunello, contributing decisive results for the Indian side. Nihal’s win was his third consecutive victory in the event. Arjun’s draw came after a 64-move encounter and was among the last finishes of the day.

The Indian women’s team posted a 3.5-0.5 victory over Greece, with Koneru Humpy defeating Stavroula Tsolakidou on the top board. Humpy’s win was noted as avenging her recent loss at the Global Chess League final in Bengaluru on Sunday. Vantika Agrawal and B. Savitha Shri won their games, while Divya Deshmukh drew her match.

Important open results from the round included Uzbekistan beating Austria 3-1; USA defeating Denmark 2.5-1.5; China defeating Bulgaria 3.5-0.5; Germany beating Uzbekistan (2) 2.5-1.5; Azerbaijan overcoming Switzerland 3-1; France beating Kazakhstan 3.5-0.5; Hungary defeating Slovenia 2.5-1.5; Armenia beating Sweden 2.5-1.5; Ukraine defeating Slovakia 3-1; Lithuania drawing with England 2-2; and Spain beating Belarus 3-1.

Notable women's results in the round included Uzbekistan beating Indonesia 3-1; USA defeating Cuba 3.5-0.5; Azerbaijan overcoming Sweden 2.5-1.5; Poland defeating Latvia 4-0; Germany beating Belarus 2.5-1.5; China defeating Turkiye 3-1; Mongolia beating Peru 2.5-1.5; Kazakhstan overcoming Slovenia 3.5-0.5; Armenia defeating Croatia 4-0; Iran beating France 3-1; and Serbia defeating Canada 2.5-1.5.

With the win over Italy, the defending champions have recorded three wins from their first three matches at the Olympiad.