China Win Women's Chess Olympiad 2026, India Take Bronze

China won the women's section of the Chess Olympiad 2026 unbeaten, Kazakhstan took silver and India won bronze, with Savitha Shri B scoring 9 out of 10.

China have won the women's section of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The Chinese team finished unbeaten with 20 match points, winning 9 matches and drawing 2. Kazakhstan took the silver medal with 18 match points, and India won the bronze.

In the final round China beat Vietnam 3-1, with Zhu Jiner and Lu Miaoyi winning their games. Kazakhstan drew 2-2 with Poland to secure second place.

India's last-round match against Georgia was tense. Koneru Humpy won quickly, beating Nana Dzagnidze in just 24 moves. Bella Khotenashvili then beat Divya Deshmukh, and the other two games were drawn, so the match finished 2-2. India finished with 17 match points, level with the United States, Poland, Armenia and Mongolia, and won the bronze medal on tiebreak.

The star of India's team was Savitha Shri B. She scored 9 points from 10 games, winning eight and drawing two without a single loss. Her wins included games against strong opponents from the United States, Germany, Kazakhstan and China. It was one of the best individual performances of the entire Olympiad.

Koneru Humpy led the team on the top board and finished unbeaten, with 7 points from 10 games. Divya Deshmukh scored 6.5 from 10 and Vantika Agrawal 6 from 8, with important wins against the United States and Uzbekistan.

China's win was built on great balance. Zhu Jiner, Song Yuxin, Lu Miaoyi and Zhai Mo all contributed, and the team never lost a match. Unbeaten teams usually win Olympiads, because avoiding losses matters as much as scoring wins.

For young girls dreaming of playing chess for their country, India's bronze is an inspiring result. Savitha Shri B's performance shows that steady, determined play can shine on the biggest stage.

With a silver in the open section and a bronze in the women's section, India leave Samarkand with two Olympiad medals. Congratulations to all the medal winners.