India won a double medal at the Chess Olympiad, with men taking silver and women taking bronze

India walked away from the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with medals in both sections as the men’s team won silver and the women’s team secured bronze on Sunday. The results ensured that India remained the only country to finish on the podium in both the open and women’s events at the 2026 Olympics.

The Indians, who entered the tournament as the defending champions after a historic double gold in Budapest in 2024, finished behind hosts Uzbekistan in the Open section. India entered the final round in second place after a dominant 3.5-0.5 win over Uzbekistan-2 in Round 10, with D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin scoring the victories.

In the final round, India faced Hungary, while Uzbekistan faced Ukraine in the battle for the gold. India clinched the silver after a draw in their final match, while Uzbekistan went on to win gold on home soil. Arjun Erigaisi was a key contributor for India in the crucial closing stages, winning his match in the last over and ensuring that India stayed ahead of the chasing teams.

The silver capped another strong Olympics for the Indian side with world champions D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun and Nihal. Gukesh was particularly impressive in the second half of the tournament, winning his seventh match in Round 10 to move to 8.5 points from 10 games.

HOW INDIA’S WOMEN CAME TO BRONZE

The Indian women had a tougher title defense but fought their way back into the medal positions. The team started the tournament strongly before suffering a setback against Poland in Round 5, their first defeat in the competition. Poland had also defeated India in the previous two Olympics.

The Indian women recovered and remained in contention for the medals heading into the final rounds. Their Round 10 clash with leaders China ended in a 2-2 draw with B Savitha Shri bringing another crucial win. Savitha defeated Zhai Mo to record her eighth win of the tournament and move to 8.5 points from nine games. Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh tied while Vantika Agrawal lost to Lu Miaoyi.

Savitha continued her remarkable run in the final round, drawing with Meri Arabidze to finish with nine points from 10 games. Her result helped India secure the women’s bronze medal as China won the gold.

The double medal also helped India retain the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the best federation overall in the Open and Women’s sections. India had previously won the trophy in 2022 and 2024.

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