Samarkand, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Reigning World Classical Chess Champion D Gukesh produced a crucial win to help India defeat overnight joint-leaders Germany 2.5-1.5 in the ninth round of the Open section of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, lifting the team to second place in the standings.
The victory brought India back into strong contention for the title, with the team now well placed to challenge hosts and table-toppers Uzbekistan.
In the key clash on Table 2, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin were held to draws on the first three boards before Gukesh secured India’s only win of the match on the fourth board.
Praggnanandhaa, playing with the white pieces, drew against German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer, while Arjun Erigaisi shared the points with Matthias Bluebaum. Nihal Sarin was also held to a draw by Frederik Svane, leaving India facing the possibility of dropping points for the second successive round.
Gukesh, however, turned the match around with a remarkable recovery against Alexander Donchenko. Playing black, the Indian was in serious trouble and appeared headed for defeat before finding a series of precise moves to stage a comeback and secure the decisive victory.
The result took India to 15 points, with the team sharing second place with Uzbekistan 2 and Armenia. The main Uzbekistan team remained atop the standings with 16 points after defeating top-seeded United States in the ninth round.
In the women’s section, India defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 to move to 15 points after nine rounds and share second place with Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
B Savitha Shri’s remarkable run of seven consecutive victories came to an end, but she remained unbeaten after drawing against Uzbekistan’s Guldona Karimova on the top board.
Koneru Humpy, playing white, was also held to a draw by Uzbekistan’s top player Afruza Khamdamova. Divya Deshmukh, the reigning Women’s World Cup winner, and Ventika Agrawal, however, won their respective games to secure India’s 3-1 victory.
China strengthened its position at the top of the women’s standings with 17 points after Armenia suffered a 1-3 defeat against the leaders. Mongolia and Kazakhstan played out a 2-2 draw.
India will face defending champions China in the 10th round on Saturday, with the high-profile encounter set to be crucial in determining the shape of the women’s title race.
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