2026 Chess Olympiad Review -- A stumble in Samarkand: India falls short of Budapest high at Chess Olympiad

A stumble in Samarkand: India falls short of Budapest high at Chess Olympiad left World Champion D. Gukesh showed immense grit in his silver-winning performance on board four. He played all eleven rounds, scoring 8.5 points with seven victories before suffering his lone defeat in the final round against Hungary's Gleb Dudin. Michal Walusza / FIDE Michal Walusza / FIDE https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/chess/j12ubz/article71530164.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/55551111067_891e5bef89_o.jpg Michał Walusza FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 - Samarkand Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE

India won silver in the Open section and bronze in the Women's section at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand while retaining the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup.

As the old adage goes, reaching the top is far easier than staying there -- a harsh truth the Indian chess contingent learned firsthand at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.

While India secured a podium finish for the third consecutive edition, their historic double-gold from Budapest 2024 gave way to a silver medal in the Open section and a bronze in the Women's category.

Host nation Uzbekistan's men's team and the Chinese women's team claimed their respective titles through remarkably consistent performances. Both teams raised their game when it mattered most, winning the critical moments of key ties to put themselves in the strongest position for gold by the penultimate round.

center The women's campaign was highlighted by the performance of 19-year-old International Master B. Savitha Shri., who proved to be the tournament's ultimate dark horse on the reserve board. Remaining unbeaten throughout, she tallied an incredible nine points from ten games to clinch the individual gold medal. Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/chess/u5t4mg/article71530167.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/55551774616_2e63647bfa_o.jpg Rafal Oleksiewicz 2026.09.26, Uzbekistan, Samarkand FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 10 Savitha Shri B of India Credit: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE

While India's Open team, seeded second behind the USA, played to their pre-event billing, the women's team slipped two notches below their seeding to take the bronze. Unlike the dominant twin-gold campaign in 2024, India found the going much tougher in Samarkand, navigating far slimmer match margins.

On the brighter side, India emerged as the best overall chess nation for the third successive Olympiad. The contingent successfully retained the prestigious Nona Gaprindashvili Cup, awarded on the basis of the combined standings of both sections.

Standings (Top 10) Open 1. Uzbekistan (20 match points) 2-3. India, Germany (18) 4-7. USA, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, 8-10. China, France and Spain (17) Women 1. China (20 match points) 2. Kazakhstan (18) 3-7. India, USA, Poland, Armenia, Mongolia (17) 8-10. Georgia, Vietnam and Slovenia (16)

The women's campaign was highlighted by brilliant individual efforts on the lower boards, anchored by 19-year-old International Master B. Savitha Shri. A student of Grandmaster R. B. Ramesh, Savitha proved to be the tournament's ultimate dark horse on the reserve board. Remaining unbeaten throughout, she tallied an incredible nine points from ten games to clinch the individual gold medal.

Divya Deshmukh secured the individual silver medal on the second board after a stellar run. On the sidelines of the event, the reigning World Cup winner was also named Best Female Player at the inaugural FIDE Excellence Awards for the 2024-26 cycle, cementing her status as a model of consistency across consecutive team and individual podium finishes.

center Divya Deshmukh was named Best Female Player at the inaugural FIDE Excellence Awards for the 2024-26 cycle. Michal Walusza / FIDE Michal Walusza / FIDE https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/chess/i3qvew/article71530165.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/55550665249_6601240b5b_o.jpg Michał Walusza FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 - Samarkand Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE

Meanwhile, veteran Koneru Humpy on the top board and Vantika Agrawal on board four earned hard-fought individual bronze medals. Humpy, who described this as her "best Chess Olympiad performance ever", signed off in vintage style during the final round against Georgia's Nana Dzagnidze. The veteran unleashed a stunning knight sacrifice on the 18th move immediately after an error by Dzagnidze, a vital win that allowed India to hold the former champions to a draw and secure their podium finish.

Savitha, meanwhile, was a complete revelation. Initially travelling to Samarkand to provide backup, she ended up winning her first seven games in a row, perfectly offsetting a dip in form on other boards. Her victims included China's Zhai Mo, the USA's Rose Atwell and Kazakhstan's Elnaz Kaliakhmet -- the latter of which she rated as her finest game.

center https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/7hiuv/article71531999.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/Olympiad%20standings.png

Savitha's triumph over Mo helped India hold China to a tie in the penultimate round. Her brilliant defensive save from an inferior position to secure a draw against Georgia in the finale proved no less significant, making her one of the finds of the Olympiad for India. Additionally, Divya Deshmukh produced a masterclass in the ninth round, defeating Uzbekistan's Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova to anchor a commanding triumph over the hosts, who had been punching well above their weight.

In the Open section, World Champion D. Gukesh's silver-winning performance on board four was deeply heartening. Showing immense grit despite a recent slump in form, the youngster played all eleven rounds, scoring 8.5 points with seven victories before suffering his lone defeat in the final round against Hungary's Gleb Dudin.

center R. Praggnanandhaa in action. Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/chess/e8savp/article71530171.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/Pragg%20action.jpg Rafal Oleksiewicz 2026.09.17, Uzbekistan, Samarkand FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 2 Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa Credit: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE

R. Praggnanandhaa was equally phenomenal, anchoring the top board while remaining entirely unbeaten to claim an individual bronze with 6.5 points. However, the second board in both sections proved to be India's primary vulnerability.

Arjun Erigaisi started with an early loss and struggled to find his usual devastating form, finishing with 5.5 points from ten rounds. While his final-round victory over veteran Peter Leko was absolutely crucial in salvaging a 2-2 draw against Hungary that secured India the team silver in a five-way tie for second place, his tournament performance rating of 2654 sat well below his standard 2759 rating, causing him to drop below the 2750 mark in the October rating list.

R. Vaishali faced an even steeper uphill battle on the second board of the women's section, where she suffered two defeats and finished with just 2.5 points from six rounds. Her performance rating of 2197 reflected her struggles, leading to her being benched for the final three critical rounds and dropping 17.1 rating points overall.

Though Nihal suffered another setback immediately after the rest day against England's Luke McShane, the team backed him completely. Nihal had displayed immense guts and gumption to fight his way back into the national squad this season, repaying that faith by scoring two crucial points from his final three outings. Fortified by victories from Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh alongside a draw from Arjun, India bounced back against England to keep their medal hopes alive.

center Vaishali's performance rating of 2197 reflected her struggles, leading to her being benched for the final three critical rounds and dropping 17.1 rating points overall. Meanwhile, veteran Koneru Humpy on the top board, who described this as her "best Chess Olympiad performance ever", signed off in vintage style during the final round against Georgia's Nana Dzagnidze. Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/chess/73zebb/article71530174.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/55547054202_2516502253_o.jpg Rafal Oleksiewicz 2026.09.24, Uzbekistan, Samarkand FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 8 Rameshbabu Vaishali and Humpy Koneru of India Credit: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE

Praggnanandhaa's unbreachable defence and sharp tactical accuracy were on full display throughout the event, highlighted by a positional masterclass against England's Nikita Vitiugov. Similarly, Gukesh's spirited comeback against Germany's Alexander Donchenko will be long remembered; looking down and out, Gukesh hung on tenaciously before finding a lethal combination that left his opponent exasperated, scoring the decisive point that won the match for India.

Ultimately, the final medal colour does not tell the full story of the tremendous resilience this contingent displayed. While individual dips in form did hurt India's gold ambitions, retaining the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy underlined India's consistency across both divisions. Hits and misses are an inherent part of any sport, but Samarkand made one thing clear: Indian chess is firmly consolidating its stature as a dominant global superpower.

Board prize winners Open Board 1: R. Praggnanandhaa (Bronze) Board 4: D. Gukesh (Silver) Women Board 1: K. Humpy (Bronze); Board 3: Divya Deshmukh (Silver) Board 4: Vantika Agrawal (Bronze) Reserve Board: B. Savitha Shri (Gold) Best team - Nona Gaprindashvili Cup (Open and Women) India Standings (Top 10) Open 1. Uzbekistan (20 match points) 2-3. India, Germany (18) 4-7. USA, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, 8-10. China, France and Spain (17) Women 1. China (20 match points) 2. Kazakhstan (18) 3-7. India, USA, Poland, Armenia, Mongolia (17) 8-10. Georgia, Vietnam and Slovenia (16) Board prize winners Open Board 1: R. Praggnanandhaa (Bronze) Board 4: D. Gukesh (Silver) Women Board 1: K. Humpy (Bronze); Board 3: Divya Deshmukh (Silver) Board 4: Vantika Agrawal (Bronze) Reserve Board: B. Savitha Shri (Gold) Best team - Nona Gaprindashvili Cup (Open and Women) India