Chess
Chess Olympiad 2026: No 'Order of Highest Friendship' as Uzbekistan dents India's title defence
Nihal Sarin's one-move blunder saw hosts Uzbekistan take solo lead after six rounds at 2026 Chess Olympiad.
Nihal Sarin (right) reacts after his blunder against Uzbekistan at 2026 Chess Olympiad (Photo credit: Michal Walusza/FIDE)
India’s title defence hope in the open section at the 2026 Chess Olympiad was left hanging by a thread as they went down to third seeds and hosts Uzbekistan in Round 6 on Tuesday.
For much of the contest, India seemed to be in control as Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Arjun Erigaisi played out solid draws on their respective top two boards.
Then when world champion Gukesh Dommaraju shook hands with Shamsiddin Vokhidov on Board 4, the belief that the two teams would share points only solidified.
But Chess Olympiads have a way of throwing up twists when you least expect them to; and all it took here was a mere three moves.
When Gukesh offered a draw, Nihal Sarin – on Board 3 – was in a drawish position, with nothing really to push for. However, it wasn’t to be.
A one-move blunder turned the tides. Nihal placed his knight on f5 square.
“How is it possible to miss this? He had time…he had time,” cried India’s reserve board player Vidit Gujrathi on the LIVE stream of Chessbase India.
Nodirbek Yakubboev spotted the mistake immediately. Nihal realised it too; but it was just a tad bit late. The damage had been dealt.
Three moves later, Yakubboev knocked the Indian’s queen off the board. The evaluation bar went from equal to +5 for the Uzbek.
Nihal played on for 17 more moves. But, there was no coming back. Yakubboev simply had to bide his time on the board and he did just that.
The reigning champions, after a shaky start in the tournament, were handed their biggest blow yet in Samarkand.
Less than a month ago, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev had honoured the Indian Prime Minister with “Oliy Darajali Do’stlik” or the “Order of Highest Friendship.”
Over the chess board, unfortunately, no such honour would be extended.
India were pushed down to number 7 in the standings with just five rounds to spare. Their title defence hangs by a thread as the hosts firmed their grip on the top spot.