Chess Olympiad 2026: World champion Gukesh to play Board 4 for India

The reigning world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju will play the lower Board 4 for India at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, non-playing captain GM Srinath Narayanan revealed on Tuesday.

Gukesh, who featured on the top-most Board 1 for the previous two editions, has been bumped down, thanks to a massive drop in his ratings in recent times.

Currently rated 2703, Gukesh is the fourth highest-rated player in the Indian team, only ahead of Vidit Gujrathi (2697).

The 20-year-old from Tamil Nadu had won gold medals on Board 1 over the last two editions in Chennai and Budapest respectively. It also included a tournament performance rating of 3056 in 2024, when India lifted their first-ever Chess Olympiad title at the Hungarian capital.

With Gukesh dropping down, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (2761) will take the Board 1 honours for India in Samarkand. Arjun Erigaisi (2759) will feature on Board 2, while Nihal Sarin (2718) will compete on Board 3.

Gujrathi will be the reserve player on Board 5, stepping in when one of the top four are rested.

How is board order decided?

The team captains decide board orders for Chess Olympiad by submitting a list of four players and a reserve before the tournament begins.

The submitted board sequence is permanent and can't be changed during the course of the tournament. 

The captain can decide which four out of the five players play in a particular tie, but they have to play in the board order submitted, meaning the reserve player can't be used as a floater.

More often than not, the captains field their strongest player on Board 1, second strongest on Board 2 and so on. But teams do have the flexibility of placing their strongest player on Board 4 if they wish before the tournament begins.

For example, Erigaisi was the highest rated Indian in the open section before their victorious 2024 campaign, but he was slotted in on Board 3 where he decimated lower rated opponents with ease as Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa occupied the top two boards against stronger players.

In the same year, China had fielded the then reigning world champion Ding Liren on Board 1 despite him being the second highest rated player behind Wei Yi.

GM Srinath has decided against any such tactics ahead of the 2026 Chess Olympiad, fielding the players as per their current rating strength, dropping Gukesh down the order.

What does Board 4 mean for Gukesh?

Gukesh has been on a downward spiral recently, struggling to notch up positive results against the world's top players in the super tournaments he has played since being crowned the youngest world chess champion nearly two years ago.

He has dropped 91 rating points from his peak of 2794 achieved in October 2024, just days after he led India to the 2024 Chess Olympiad title in Budapest.

Playing on the fourth board means Gukesh will not be up against the world's top players and might help him gain some confidence and momentum by registering wins against lower ranked opponents.

It also means that the much anticipated clash between Gukesh and his world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, who'll play Board 2 for Uzbekistan, is unlikely to happen. 

He will also not face Ding, who he had beaten for the world championship title, with the Chinese GM set to play Board 2.

Gukesh's absence from Board 1 will also mark the first time since fixed-board orders were introduced at Chess Olympiad in 1931 that a reigning world champion doesn't play on the top