Chess Olympiad: India beats England, women’s team beats Germany to stay in contention for title

India bounced back strongly in Round 7 of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where the open team defeated England 2.5-1.5 and the women’s team edged out Germany 3.5-0.5 on Wednesday.

In the open section, R Praggnanandhaa and world champion D Gukesh secured a decisive victory for India. Praggnanandhaa beat Nikita Vitiugov on the top board, while Gukesh continued his unbeaten run with a win on four. Arjun Erigaisi drew with veteran Michael Adams while Nihal Sarin suffered India’s only defeat in the match against Luke McShane.

The 2.5-1.5 win gave India 12 match points from seven rounds with six wins and one loss. India are third in the open standings behind leaders Uzbekistan and the Netherlands in a tiebreak. Uzbekistan remained the only team with a perfect record after beating China 3-1 in the 7th round.

Gukesh’s victory was particularly significant as the reigning world champion continued his impressive Olympic campaign. After helping India win gold in the last two editions, Gukesh is now aiming for a third consecutive team gold medal in Samarkand.

INDIA WOMEN DEMOLISH GERMANY TO STAY IN GOLD MEDAL HUNT

The Indian women’s team put in an even more commanding performance to beat Germany 3.5-0.5 to remain firmly in the title race. Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh scored victories while Savitha Shri continued her brilliant run. Vaishali Rameshbabu’s game ended in a draw.

Humpy started strongly on the top board to secure a convincing win while Divya added another full point. Savitha was once again among the winners, extending her remarkable individual record to six wins from six games.

The result lifted India to 12 match points, placing them third in the women’s rankings behind China and Kazakhstan, who have 13 points each. India won six out of seven matches, with their only defeat coming against Kazakhstan in the 5th round.

Round 8 will be played on Thursday as both Indian teams continue their quest for another strong finish in Samarkand.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

24 Sep 2026 0:08 IST