Samarkand [Uzbekistan], September 21 (ANI): India registered a win over the Netherlands in the open section, while the women's team registered a loss to Poland in the fifth round of the ongoing 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
In the open section, India secured a 3-1 win over the Netherlands, while they lost to Poland 1.5-2.5 in the women's section match held on Sunday.
After the conclusion of the fifth round, India is in second place in the open section standings, with 10 points. They are tied with Uzbekistan (10 points) and Germany (10 points). In the women's section, India has slipped down to eighth spot, with eight points, as per Chess.com.
Earlier on Saturday, India maintained its perfect start to the Chess Olympiad 2026, securing convincing 3-1 victories in both sections in Samarkand. The Open team defeated Spain, while the Women’s team overcame Mongolia to register their fourth consecutive win.
India registered victories through Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh, while R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin secured draws to complete a convincing team victory, as per the FIDE website. Gukesh defeated Alexei Shirov in 42 moves, while Arjun Erigaisi secured a 36-move victory over Maksim Chigaev.
Praggnanandhaa, playing on the top board, drew his game, while Nihal also held his opponent with the black pieces. Praggnanandhaa drew with David Anton in 38 moves, while Nihal Sarin held Jaime Santos to a draw after 30 moves, completing India’s 3-1 victory over Spain.
The result kept India among the teams with a perfect four wins from four matches in the Open section. China, hosts Uzbekistan, Germany, Armenia, the USA, the Netherlands and Hungary were also unbeaten after four rounds.
In the Women’s section, India also maintained its perfect team record, defeating Mongolia 3-1. Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri won their games, while the matches on the first two boards ended in draws. Savitha remained unbeaten with a perfect 4/4. Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali rounded off the results with draws on the top two boards. Humpy split the point with Bat-Erdene Mungunzul after 82 moves, while Vaishali drew with Turmunkh Munkhzul following a 75-move battle. (ANI)
46th Chess Olympiad: Contrasting round five for India in open, women sections
