Chess Olympiad: India beat England, women's team rout Germany to stay in title race
India bounced back strongly in Round 7 of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with the open team defeating England 2.5-1.5 and the women's team cruising past Germany 3.5-0.5 on Wednesday.
In the open section, R Praggnanandhaa and world champion D Gukesh delivered the decisive wins for India. Praggnanandhaa defeated Nikita Vitiugov on the top board, while Gukesh continued his unbeaten run with a victory on board four. Arjun Erigaisi drew against veteran Michael Adams, while Nihal Sarin suffered India's only defeat of the match against Luke McShane.
The 2.5-1.5 victory took India to 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 on tiebreak. Uzbekistan remained the only team with a perfect record after beating China 3-1 in Round 7.
Gukesh's victory was particularly significant as the reigning world champion continued his impressive Olympiad campaign. Having helped India win gold in the last two editions, Gukesh is now chasing a third successive team gold medal in Samarkand.
The Indian women's team produced an even more commanding performance, defeating Germany 3.5-0.5 to remain firmly in contention for the title. Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh registered victories, while Savitha Shri also continued her excellent run. Vaishali Rameshbabu's game ended in a draw.
Humpy made a strong start on the top board and secured 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, leaving them third in the women's standings behind China and Kazakhstan, who sit on 13 points each. India have won six of their seven matches, with their only defeat coming against Kazakhstan in Round 5.
Round 8 will be played on Thursday as both Indian teams continue their pursuit of another strong finish in Samarkand.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 24, 2026 00:08 IST
