Uzbekistan hands India its first loss at Chess Olympiad; Indian women beat USA 3-1

India’s open team were beaten 1.5-2.5 by hosts Uzbekistan at Samarkand on Monday in the Chess Olympiad, handing the defending champions their first loss after five straight wins, while India’s women defeated the United States 3-1 on the same day.

The open encounter was billed as a meeting between two nations noted in the report as among the world’s strongest for young chess talent and pitted the defending champion India against the host Uzbekistan. India had entered the round unbeaten in five matches. The Indian women, recovering from a loss in the previous round, recorded a 3-1 victory against the USA, with wins by Vantika Agrawal and B. Savitha Shri and draws on the top two boards.

In the open match, R. Praggnanandhaa drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Arjun Erigaisi drew with Javokhir Sindarov, while D. Gukesh drew with Shamsiddin Vokhidov; Nihal Sarin lost to Nodirbek Yakubboev, the decisive result in the 1.5-2.5 outcome. Those four board results determined the match score reported for the sixth round.

Nihal Sarin’s defeat featured a tactical error: he blundered with his knight on the 37th move and continued to contest a worsening position until resigning on the 54th move, the report states. The account notes that Nihal had been playing well earlier in the game before the decisive blunder.

On the women’s side, Koneru Humpy drew with Carissa Yip and Divya Deshmukh drew with Alice Lee on the top two boards, while Vantika Agrawal beat Irina Krush and B. Savitha Shri beat Rose Atwell to complete the 3-1 win for India. Savitha’s victory was her fifth win in as many games, and the report specifies she had been rested in India’s loss to Poland in the previous round.

The report adds detail on Vantika’s game, saying she overcame Irina Krush in a long contest, converting an advantageous position with patience in 65 moves. Savitha’s consistent run of results and Vantika’s long conversion were credited as key elements in the women’s match score.

The article also lists other sixth-round results in both sections: in the open — China beat Germany 3-1; England drew with France 2-2; USA beat Norway 2.5-1.5; Armenia beat Iran 2.5-1.5; Azerbaijan beat Argentina 2.5-1.5; Uzbekistan (2) beat Spain 1.5; Hungary drew with Romania 2-2; Netherlands beat Israel 4-0; Bulgaria beat Ukraine 2.5-1.5; Uzbekistan (2) beat Spain 2.5-1.5; Switzerland beat Turkiye 3-1; Belarus drew with Poland 2-2; Greece beat Indonesia 3.5-0.5. In the women’s division — Georgia beat Uzbekistan 3.5-0.5; Kazakhstan beat Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5; China beat Poland 3.5-0.5; France beat Vietnam 4-0; Ukraine beat England 2.5-1.5; Germany beat Romania 2.5-1.5; Netherlands drew with Slovenia 2-2; Serbia drew with Turkiye 2-2; Mongolia beat Iran 3-1; Armenia beat Latvia 3-1; Switzerland beat Italy 3-1; Belarus drew with Hungary 2-2.

Going into Tuesday’s rest day, India sits in joint second place in both the open and women’s sections, according to the report.