Poland women upset India 2.5-1.5 at Chess Olympiad in Samarkand

Poland’s women defeated top-seeded India 2.5-1.5 at the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand on Sunday, September 20, 2026. The scoreline replicated Poland’s 2.5-1.5 win over India in Budapest two years ago, a loss that had occurred in the eighth round before India recovered to win the title.

This time the reversal came in the fifth round and represents a setback for the defending champions. Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal each drew their games, leaving the match to be decided on the second board between R. Vaishali and Aleksandra Maltsevskaya. Vaishali, playing Black, was three pawns down and resigned on the 57th move, sealing the match for Poland.

In the open event R. Praggnanandhaa defeated Anish Giri as India beat the Netherlands 3-1. D. Gukesh recorded a win for India, while Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin drew their games.

The open section also produced a surprise when Germany defeated the United States 2.5-1.5. Other notable open results included Uzbekistan beating Hungary 4-0 and Armenia drawing with China 2-2.

Additional open-round outcomes saw France beat Czechia 2.5-1.5, England beat Georgia 2.5-1.5, Iran beat Lithuania 3-1, Ukraine beat Montenegro 3.5-0.5, Turkiye beat Latvia 3.5-0.5, Serbia beat Cuba 3-1 and Poland beat Vietnam 2.5-1.5.

In the women’s section beyond Poland’s win over India, the United States drew with Uzbekistan 2-2 and Kazakhstan beat Germany 2.5-1.5. China beat Bulgaria 3-1, Azerbaijan beat Serbia 3-1, the Netherlands drew with Switzerland 2-2 and Georgia beat Indonesia 2.5-1.5.

Further women’s results included Ukraine beating Austria 2.5-1.5, France beating Slovakia 3-1, Mongolia beating Croatia 2.5-1.5, Armenia beating Peru 3-1 and Hungary beating Brazil 3-1. These outcomes were recorded as important results from Round 5 of the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 and contributed to the standings after Round 5.