Chess Olympiad 2026: Uzbekistan Beat India as Indian Women Defeat USA

Hosts Uzbekistan beat India 2.5-1.5 in round 6 of the 2026 Chess Olympiad, while India's women bounced back with a 3-1 win over the United States.

The biggest match of round 6 at the 46th Chess Olympiad went to the hosts. Uzbekistan beat India 2.5-1.5 in Samarkand and are now the only open team with six wins from six.

The match was decided on one board. Nodirbek Yakubboev beat Nihal Sarin in 54 moves. The other three games were drawn: Praggnanandhaa R with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi with Javokhir Sindarov, and Gukesh D with Shamsiddin Vokhidov. It was a high-quality match, and India were very close to holding.

China kept pace with a 3-1 win over Germany. Former world champion Ding Liren beat Vincent Keymer and Xu Xiangyu also won. Armenia beat Iran 2.5-1.5. After six rounds Uzbekistan lead the open section with 12 match points, ahead of China and Armenia on 11. India are among a large group on 10.

India's women's team responded brilliantly to its loss against Poland. In round 6 it beat the United States 3-1. Vantika Agrawal beat Irina Krush and Savitha Shri B beat Rose Atwell, while Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh drew with Carissa Yip and Alice Lee.

In the women's section China are now in front. They beat Poland 3.5-0.5 and lead with a perfect 12 match points, level with Kazakhstan, who beat Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5.

Savitha Shri B has been one of the stories of the event. She has won all five of her games so far. In team chess, steady scores on the lower boards are often what separate medal winners from the rest.

For India's open team, the loss to the hosts is disappointing but not decisive. Five rounds remain, and Olympiads are often won by teams that recover quickly from one bad result. The best teams treat a loss as a single round, not as the end of their hopes.

Play resumes today with round 7 after yesterday's rest day.