Chess Olympiad 2026: Indian open team go down to Uzebkistan; women beat USA

The reigning champions Indian open team went down to a local and spirited Uzbekistan side in what was termed as the first clash of the titans in the sixth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad here.

The Indians were outdone by Nodirbek Yakubboev on the third board, while the other matches ended in a draw.

R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Arjun Erigaisi drew with Javokhir Sindarov.

On the fourth board too, the parity was maintained as D Gukesh drew with Shamsiddin Vokhidov.

But tables were turned on Nihal Sarin who has had some exemplary performances coming into this round. On Monday, he just could not match the expertise of Yakubboev.

Sarin missed on the tactical front as the Uzbek capitalised on unforced errors. Having sealed a queen versus two-piece endgame, Yakubboev was never in trouble, and as it turned out, the Indian could do little to salvage himself.

With a 1.5-2.5 loss, the Indian team lost the lead and now has to work its way back into contention.

The Indian eves, meanwhile, were poised to bounce back as they led 2-1 against the USA.

Koneru Humpy played out a draw, and so did Divya Deshmukh, while Savitha Shri was the only one who could provide the sole victory.

Nevertheless, it was a big loss for the Indian men as they remained on 10 points after the first five rounds, while the Uzbeks moved to 12 points, gaining the sole lead.

The Indian men need a miracle to come back into contention.

In the women’s section too, the Indian eves need to come back strongly, and the likely victory against the United States would just be a case in point.

Meanwhile, the other overnight leader Germany lost to China, making Uzbekistan the sole leader in the open section.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)