India’s Open Team at the 46th Chess Olympiad 2026 — The Journey of Wins
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 16–27 September 2026, produced another memorable chapter in Indian chess. The Indian Open team, defending its historic 2024 Budapest gold, finished with the silver medal after an 11-round campaign featuring eight match victories, two draws and one defeat.
India finished with 18 match points, level with Germany but ahead on the relevant tiebreak, while hosts Uzbekistan won gold with 20 points.
Indian Open Team
| Player | Games | Score | Key contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| D. Gukesh | 11 | 8½/11 | India's highest scorer; 7 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss |
| R. Praggnanandhaa | 10 | 6½/10 | 4 wins, 5 draws, unbeaten |
| Nihal Sarin | 10 | 6/10 | 4 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses |
| Arjun Erigaisi | 10 | 5½/10 | 2 wins, 7 draws, 1 loss |
| Vidit Gujrathi | 3 | 2/3 | 1 win, 2 draws |
These official individual totals come from the Chess-Results record.
ROUND-BY-ROUND JOURNEY
Round 1 — India 3–1 Thailand
16 September 2026
India opened its campaign against Thailand.
The beginning was not completely smooth: Arjun Erigaisi lost to Prin Laohawirapap. But India immediately showed the strength of its four-board system.
Nihal Sarin defeated Thanadon Kulpruethanon
D. Gukesh defeated Faris Rashid Alriyami
Vidit Gujrathi defeated Tupfah Khumnorkaew
Arjun suffered the only Indian loss.
Result: India 3–1 Thailand
This was an important early message: even when one board went against India, the other boards compensated strongly.
Individual wins: Nihal, Gukesh, Vidit
Round 2 — India 2½–1½ Indonesia
17 September
India faced Indonesia.
This time the decisive contribution came from Nihal Sarin, who defeated Arif Abdul Hafiz.
Praggnanandhaa — draw
Nihal — win
Gukesh — draw
Vidit — draw
Result: India 2½–1½ Indonesia
Nihal had now started with 2/2, giving India important early momentum.
Individual win: Nihal
Round 3 — India 3–1 Italy
18 September
The Italian challenge brought the first appearance of Praggnanandhaa on top board.
The match was decided on Boards 3 and 4:
Praggnanandhaa — draw
Arjun — draw
Nihal defeated Francesco Sonis
Gukesh defeated Sabino Brunello
Result: India 3–1 Italy
Gukesh and Nihal were already emerging as India's major point scorers.
After three rounds:
Gukesh: 2½/3
Nihal: 3/3
Praggnanandhaa: 1½/3
Arjun: 1½/3
Round 4 — India 3–1 Spain
19 September
India's fourth-round opponent was Spain, with several experienced grandmasters.
Again, the lower boards delivered the decisive points:
Praggnanandhaa — draw with David Anton
Arjun defeated Maksim Chigaev
Nihal — draw with Jaime Santos Latasa
Gukesh defeated Alexei Shirov
Result: India 3–1 Spain
Gukesh's victory was particularly notable because Shirov is one of the most experienced names in the field.
India had now won four consecutive matches.
Individual wins: Arjun, Gukesh
ROUND 5 — INDIA 3–1 NETHERLANDS
This was one of India's most impressive early victories.
The Netherlands were a very strong opponent, including Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest.
The results:
Praggnanandhaa defeated Anish Giri
Arjun — draw with Jorden van Foreest
Nihal — draw with Loek van Wely
Gukesh defeated Erwin L'Ami
Result: India 3–1 Netherlands
This was a particularly significant round because India won against a high-rated opponent while its two leading young stars, Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, supplied the two victories.
After Round 5
India had won all five matches.
The team had established itself firmly among the leading contenders.
ROUND 6 — THE TOUGHEST SETBACK
Uzbekistan 2½–1½ India
21 September
Then came the biggest test of India's campaign.
India faced the home team Uzbekistan, which had been one of the tournament's strongest sides.
The first, second and fourth boards were drawn:
Praggnanandhaa — draw with Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Arjun — draw with Javokhir Sindarov
Gukesh — draw with Shamsiddin Vokhidov
Nihal lost to Nodirbek Yakubboev
Result: Uzbekistan 2½–1½ India
The match was extremely close. Nihal had obtained a promising position but eventually allowed the advantage to slip away, and Yakubboev converted the opportunity. His loss gave Uzbekistan the decisive half-point margin.
This was India's only match defeat of the Olympiad.
ROUND 7 — INDIA BOUNCES BACK
India 2½–1½ England
23 September
After losing to the hosts, India needed an immediate response.
And the response came.
Praggnanandhaa defeated Nikita Vitiugov
Arjun — draw with Michael Adams
Nihal lost to Luke McShane
Gukesh defeated Daniel Howard Fernandez
Result: India 2½–1½ England
The victory was important psychologically as well as mathematically.
Despite Nihal's second consecutive loss, Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh delivered the two wins India needed.
India had recovered from the Uzbekistan setback.
ROUND 8 — INDIA 2–2 AZERBAIJAN
24 September
India then met Azerbaijan.
This time there were four draws:
Praggnanandhaa — draw with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Arjun — draw with Aydin Suleymanli
Gukesh — draw with Mahammad Muradli
Vidit — draw with Rauf Mamedov
Result: India 2–2 Azerbaijan
It was India's first match draw of the Olympiad.
The result meant India could not immediately close the gap on Uzbekistan, which was still fighting at the top.
ROUND 9 — INDIA 2½–1½ GERMANY
25 September
This was arguably one of the most important rounds of India's medal campaign.
India faced Germany, another major contender.
The match:
Praggnanandhaa — draw with Vincent Keymer
Arjun — draw with Matthias Bluebaum
Nihal — draw with Frederik Svane
Gukesh defeated Alexander Donchenko
Result: India 2½–1½ Germany
The crucial point came from Gukesh.
His game was particularly dramatic. He was under serious pressure against Donchenko but managed to save the position and eventually turn the game around to score the decisive victory.
The Gukesh factor
At this point, Gukesh's tournament score had become exceptional.
He had accumulated wins against:
Thailand
Italy
Spain
Netherlands
England
Germany
and had drawn against Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
ROUND 10 — INDIA 3½–½ UZBEKISTAN-2
26 September
India entered the penultimate round needing a strong finish.
They produced exactly that.
Against Uzbekistan-2, India won 3½–½.
Indian results
Praggnanandhaa defeated Jakhongir Vakhidov
Arjun — draw with Abdimalik Abdisalimov
Nihal defeated Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov
Gukesh defeated Ortik Nigmatov
Result: India 3½–½ Uzbekistan-2
This was India's largest match victory of the tournament.
Three Indian players scored wins, with only Arjun conceding a half-point.
After Round 10
India had reached:
8 wins + 1 draw + 1 loss = 17 match points
and was second behind Uzbekistan.
The stage was set for a dramatic final round.
ROUND 11 — INDIA 2–2 HUNGARY
27 September
The final opponent was Hungary.
India needed a strong result to remain in medal contention.
The four boards produced:
Praggnanandhaa — draw with Richard Rapport
Arjun Erigaisi defeated Peter Leko
Nihal — draw with Benjamin Gledura
Gukesh lost to Gleb Dudin
Final result: India 2–2 Hungary
For a while, the match was under enormous pressure because Gukesh's loss put India in danger.
But Arjun Erigaisi produced the crucial victory over Peter Leko, ensuring India secured the 2–2 match draw.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan defeated Ukraine 2½–1½ and secured gold. India therefore finished with 18 match points and took silver on tiebreak over Germany. (FIDE)
INDIA'S COMPLETE MATCH JOURNEY
| Round | Opponent | Result | India's match score | Indian wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand | Win | 3–1 | Nihal, Gukesh, Vidit |
| 2 | Indonesia | Win | 2½–1½ | Nihal |
| 3 | Italy | Win | 3–1 | Nihal, Gukesh |
| 4 | Spain | Win | 3–1 | Arjun, Gukesh |
| 5 | Netherlands | Win | 3–1 | Pragg, Gukesh |
| 6 | Uzbekistan | Loss | 1½–2½ | — |
| 7 | England | Win | 2½–1½ | Pragg, Gukesh |
| 8 | Azerbaijan | Draw | 2–2 | — |
| 9 | Germany | Win | 2½–1½ | Gukesh |
| 10 | Uzbekistan-2 | Win | 3½–½ | Pragg, Nihal, Gukesh |
| 11 | Hungary | Draw | 2–2 | Arjun |
Final record: 8 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss — 18/22 match points.
THE INDIVIDUAL JOURNEY
D. Gukesh — 8½/11
Gukesh was India's biggest individual scorer.
His sequence was:
1 – ½ – 1 – 1 – 1 – ½ – 1 – ½ – 1 – 1 – 0
That means:
7 wins
3 draws
1 loss
8½/11
Performance rating: 2718
His wins came against:
Alriyami → Brunello → Shirov → L'Ami → Fernandez → Donchenko → Nigmatov
He played all 11 rounds. His only loss came in the final round against Hungary's Gleb Dudin.
Gukesh Wins Silver Medal for Board 4
R. Praggnanandhaa — 6½/10
Praggnanandhaa remained unbeaten.
His opponents included some of the strongest players in the tournament:
Susanto Megaranto — draw
Lorenzo Lodici — draw
David Anton — draw
Anish Giri — win
Nodirbek Abdusattorov — draw
Nikita Vitiugov — win
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov — draw
Vincent Keymer — draw
Jakhongir Vakhidov — win
Richard Rapport — draw
4 wins? The official score is 6½/10, with his decisive victories against Giri, Vitiugov and Vakhidov; the official record shows the remaining games as draws.
Correction to the simple count: that is 3 wins + 7 draws = 6½/10.
His unbeaten run was particularly valuable on the top board.
Nihal Sarin — 6/10
Nihal started spectacularly:
1 – 1 – 1 – ½ – ½
He scored 3½/5 in the first five rounds.
His wins included:
Thanadon Kulpruethanon
Arif Abdul Hafiz
Francesco Sonis
Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov
He then faced a difficult middle section:
lost to Nodirbek Yakubboev
lost to Luke McShane
drew Frederik Svane
defeated Suyarov
drew Benjamin Gledura
Final: 6/10.
Arjun Erigaisi — 5½/10
Arjun's tournament was different.
He started with a loss against Thailand but then became extremely difficult to beat.
His record:
0 – ½ – ½ – 1 – ½ – ½ – ½ – ½ – ½ – ½ – 1
He scored important victories against:
Maksim Chigaev
Peter Leko
and drew against several elite opponents, including:
Luca Moroni
Jorden van Foreest
Javokhir Sindarov
Michael Adams
Aydin Suleymanli
Matthias Bluebaum
Abdimalik Abdisalimov
His final-round victory over Peter Leko was especially important because it secured India's 2–2 draw with Hungary.
Vidit Gujrathi — 2/3
Vidit played three games:
Win vs Thailand
Draw vs Indonesia
Draw vs Azerbaijan
He contributed 2/3 and provided valuable depth to the squad.
THE BIG STORY OF INDIA'S PERFORMANCE IN NUT SHELL
The 2026 Open Olympiad for India can be understood in five phases:
1.Perfect start
Rounds 1–5: Five victories
India began with a 5/5 match record, defeating Thailand, Indonesia, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
2.The Uzbekistan setback
Round 6: 1½–2½
The defending champions met the hosts and suffered their only match defeat.
3.Immediate recovery
Round 7: 2½–1½ vs England
Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh responded with victories.
4.The fight for the podium
Rounds 8–10
A draw with Azerbaijan was followed by victories over Germany and Uzbekistan-2.
The 3½–½ victory in Round 10 put India into the final round with 17 match points.
5.Final-round pressure
Round 11: 2–2 vs Hungary
Gukesh's defeat created danger, but Arjun's win over Leko secured the match draw.
Uzbekistan won its final match and finished on 20 points, while India finished on 18 and secured silver on tiebreak over Germany.
THE FINAL LEGACY
India's 2026 Open campaign was therefore not simply a story of a silver medal. It was a story of eight match victories, recovery after the only defeat, outstanding individual performances and a dramatic final-round finish.
The team also continued India's remarkable recent Olympiad record:
2022 Chennai: Bronze
2024 Budapest: Gold
2026 Samarkand: Silver
India also retained the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the third consecutive Olympiad because of its combined performance in the Open and Women's sections.
And the individual figures tell an important story: Gukesh's 8½/11, Praggnanandhaa's unbeaten 6½/10, Nihal's 6/10, Arjun's decisive final-round win and Vidit's solid contribution together formed the backbone of India's silver-medal campaign.
Summary: “India started with five straight victories → stumbled against Uzbekistan → bounced back against England → drew Azerbaijan → defeated Germany → crushed Uzbekistan-2 → fought Hungary to a final 2–2 draw → and finished with Olympic Silver.”
That makes the 11-round journey especially useful as a lesson in team chess: winning, recovering from a loss, handling pressure, and fighting until the final board is decided.
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