Chess Olympiad Round 3: Koneru Humpy took down the “Greek Goddess” Tsolakida; Gukesh back above 2700

Koneru Humpy and Gukesh (photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz and Michal Walusza from FIDE) NEW DELHI: On Friday, defending champions and unbeaten in the tournament, the Indian women’s team took on Greece in the 3rd round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. On paper it looked routine. India, the top seed, was expected to win the tie, and it did in the end. But the clash between Konera Humpa and Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakida carried an undertone that had been a fortnight in the making, turning an otherwise straightforward match into the most closely watched match of the day.Tsolakidou was part of the Ganges Grandmasters, the eventual winners of the just concluded 4th season of the Global Chess League (GCL). It was against Humpy, playing for the APL Pipers, that Tsolakida suffered her first loss of the tournament playing for white.To turn the tables in the reverse match, she needed something special, and she got it when coach Adhiban Baskaran handed her a folder titled “Preparing for a Greek Goddess!” While working on that set, she beat Humpy with the black pieces. The nickname “Greek Goddess” became known.The two met again in the GCL finals, where Tsolakidou held Humpy to a draw in the first game and beat her again with black in the second.A positive score over the Indian, along with results on the other boards, was enough to give the Ganges grandmasters the title, with Tsolakidou also named player of the tournament.So when the pairing brought them back together on Friday, it was more than just a grandmaster vs. international champion matchup. This time, as the format shifted from rapid to classic, India’s veteran Grandmaster emerged victorious.39-year-old Humpy with white built her position with patience. The game started as a Nimzo-Indian structure, with Humpy choosing an ambitious set-up with 10.b4 and 11.b5, gaining queenside space.Black’s pieces became somewhat passive, while White gradually applied pressure with 14.f4, 15.Qf3 and 16.Rad1.The critical phase came with 21.e5, the line opened and the activity of the white pieces increased.After 22.bxc6 bxc6 Humpy’s knight penetrated with 23.Ne4 and 24.Nxd6, winning material and creating tactical threats.The sequence 25.Nxe8 Rxe8 26.Qxh4 left White with a significant advantage, although Black’s active queen and pawn left the door slightly open for a comeback.Humpy kept the initiative, coordinating her turrets and gunners. 40.e6 was particularly strong, leading to 41.Bxe6+ and 42.Rd7+.After the f5-knight won with 43.Bxf5, White’s material and offensive superiority was decided. Tsolakidou retired after 46.Rf1, capping off a perfect day for the Indian grandmaster, who was rested in Round 2 against Finland.

Gukesh back to winning ways

In the open section, world champion D Gukesh returned to winning ways after Thursday’s rating dip below 2700, a drop that has grabbed less headlines than its size due to its size.Gukesh, who played black against Italy’s Sabino Brunello on Friday, met the Indian line-up Queen.After 4…Ba6 and 5…c5, Black immediately challenged the structure of the white queen and achieved active piece play. The game became highly tactical once Gukesh expanded with 15…g5 and centralized strongly with 17…Ne4 and 19…Nd4.Brunello tried to simplify with 21.Nxd4 and 22.Rxc8, but Black remained more active. The key sequence began with 23…Nc3, which forced exchanges that improved Black’s bishop activity. After 25…Re5 Gukesh increased the pressure and 26…Bxe2 won an important pawn and left the white king exposed.28…Bxh3 removed a key defender, while 29…Bd4+ and 30…Re2+ drove the king into a dangerous position. 31…Qxh3 left Black with overwhelming offensive threats and a large material advantage.Although Brunello gave checks with 32.Qxg5+ and 33.Qd8+, they were only temporary. Gukesh’s queen and bishop combined to create mating threats and Brunello resigned after 33 moves, handing Gukesh a much-needed victory and with it a step back to the 2700 mark he had slipped under just a day earlier.

India’s winning streak remains intact

The rest of India’s open team also had a strong day against Italy. Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi both drew their matches but Nihal Sarin added another win to his growing tally by beating Francesco Sonis as India closed out the match 3-1.For the Indian women, a 3.5-0.5 win over Greece on Friday, with only Divya Deshmukh drawing against Anastasia Avramidou, kept an already impressive unbeaten run alive, with Humpy, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri all winning their individual matches. Vaishali Rameshbabu rested.READ ALSO: Koneru Humpa’s 9-year-old daughter will remember the silver medal as a gold medalBoth the Indian teams will be back in action on Saturday, with the opener against Spain and the women’s team against Mongolia.