Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 10: India Win Big, Women Hold China

India beat Uzbekistan 2 by 3.5-0.5 in round 10 of the Chess Olympiad 2026 to move into second place, while India's women drew 2-2 with leaders China.

With one round left at the 46th Chess Olympiad, India's open team is in second place. In round 10 India beat Uzbekistan's second team 3.5-0.5. That was a strong result, because the same Uzbek team had beaten the Netherlands by exactly that score a round earlier.

Praggnanandhaa R, Nihal Sarin and Gukesh D all won. Gukesh beat Ortik Nigmatov for his seventh win of the event, a remarkable score. Arjun Erigaisi drew with Abdimalik Abdisalimov.

The leaders did not slow down. Uzbekistan's first team beat Armenia 3.5-0.5, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov and Mukhiddin Madaminov all winning. The hosts lead with 18 match points, one ahead of India on 17. Germany, who beat France 3-1, and Hungary are next on 16.

Ukraine produced a strong result against China, winning 3-1. Igor Kovalenko beat Ding Liren and Roman Dehtiarov also won.

In the women's section, India drew 2-2 with leaders China in a dramatic match. Lu Miaoyi beat Vantika Agrawal, but Savitha Shri B answered by beating Zhai Mo. Koneru Humpy drew with Zhu Jiner and Divya Deshmukh drew with Song Yuxin. China still lead with 18 match points, ahead of Kazakhstan on 17 and India on 16.

Savitha Shri B now has eight wins and a draw from nine games. Winning a crucial game when your team is behind in the match takes great nerve.

For the open team, everything comes down to the final round. Uzbekistan face Ukraine and India face Hungary. A win for Uzbekistan would secure the gold medal, while India need a good result to make sure of a medal.

Whatever happens, both Indian teams have shown what consistency and teamwork can achieve. Students watching can learn a lot simply by noticing how calmly these players handle the pressure of the final rounds.