Uzbekistan and Germany level after eight rounds at Samarkand Olympiad; 11-year-old Sivanandan excels
Uzbekistan and Germany sit joint-top on 14/16 after eight of the 11 rounds at the 400-team Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, with Uzbekistan’s run of seven successive wins ended by a surprise round-eight loss to Germany. England’s open team have suffered two defeats while England’s women have exceeded expectations, led by 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan who has been beaten only once on top board.
The hosts’ squad includes world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov and had begun the event with seven straight victories before the setback to Germany in round eight. Open standings after eight rounds show Uzbekistan and Germany on 14/16, with China, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, United States, India, France, Armenia and Uzbekistan 2 all on 13; England sit 36th with 10. In the women’s event China lead on 15/16, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Mongolia are on 14, India, Uzbekistan and Greece have 13, and England are 19th with 11.
England’s open campaign was hit by a 2.5-1.5 loss to India in round seven, a match in which India fielded four grandmasters and Dan Fernandez blundered from a near-equal position against world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. England then lost 1.5-2.5 to Uzbekistan’s second team in round eight, dealing a further blow to their medal prospects.
After five rounds Uzbekistan had shared the lead with India and Germany, all on maximum points, and the pairing between Uzbekistan and India was viewed as pivotal given Uzbekistan’s 2022 Chennai gold and India’s 2024 Budapest triumph. India deployed Gukesh on board four in that encounter; the decisive tactical motif from the week’s puzzle ran 1 Ne6+! Rxe6 2 gxh4+ Nxh4 3 Qxc7 and White won easily with his material advantage.
Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has produced a standout individual score of 6/7 on top board and is in contention for the individual gold medal, while his live rating has risen to world No 18. Comment in the report likened his schedule to Bobby Fischer’s in 1958-59, and the coverage suggested that a Sindarov v Erdogmus pairing for the world crown in 2030 is becoming a plausible forecast.
Two of England’s most experienced players, Michael Adams, 54, and Luke McShane, 42, remain unbeaten after eight rounds and sit close to individual medal positions on their respective boards. The report notes both players’ unbeaten records alongside their proximity to board prizes.
England’s women have been boosted by the form of 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, the Harrow schoolgirl who became the youngest ever British woman champion last month; she has been defeated only once on top board and recorded a draw with Ukraine’s reigning European champion. Coverage credited her recent tactical and strategic improvements after a strong run of results.
Three rounds remain in Samarkand and the ninth-round top pairings on Friday (11.15am BST start, live online) feature Uzbekistan v United States and India v Germany, fixtures identified in the report as potential last chances for the top-seeded Americans and the 2024 Olympiad champions to re-enter the race for gold and silver.