India defeated Thailand 3-1 in the Open section and swept the Dominican Republic 4-0 in the Women’s event to begin the 2026 Chess Olympiad strongly.
India began their double-title defence at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad with victories in both the Open and Women’s sections in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The Indian Open team defeated Thailand 3-1 despite a surprise loss for Arjun Erigaisi, while the top-seeded Women’s team completed a commanding 4-0 sweep against the Dominican Republic.
India entered the tournament as defending champions after winning historic gold medals in both sections at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest.
Gukesh, Nihal and Vidit Secure Open Victory
Nihal Sarin gave India their first point against Thailand by defeating FIDE Master Thanadon Kulpruethanon with the black pieces in 28 moves.
Vidit Gujrathi then overcame Tupfah Khumnorkaew, also with black, before world champion D Gukesh defeated Faris Rashid Alriyami to secure the team victory.
Gukesh played on the third board because R Praggnanandhaa was rested for the opening round. In India’s registered board order, Gukesh has been placed on Board 4—a significant change after leading the team on the top board at the previous two Olympiads.
The world champion dominated his lower-rated opponent in a Queen’s Indian Defence and forced resignation with a decisive attack.
Arjun Erigaisi Suffers Surprise Defeat
India’s only setback came when Arjun Erigaisi lost to Thailand’s International Master Prin Laohawirapap.
Arjun, playing on the top board in Praggnanandhaa’s absence, was rated nearly 400 points higher and held a promising position for much of the game. However, he allowed his advantage to disappear during a complicated endgame before trapping his queen and resigning with checkmate approaching.
The upset reduced India’s winning margin but did not threaten the overall match result, as Nihal, Vidit and Gukesh had already delivered three victories. India’s 3-1 success was confirmed in the official Round 1 results.
Indian Women Complete 4-0 Sweep
India’s Women’s team enjoyed a smoother start, defeating the Dominican Republic on all four boards.
Koneru Humpy beat Franchesca Ramirez on Board 1, while R Vaishali defeated Miguelina De La Rosa Martinez in 31 moves on the second board.
Savitha Shri B secured another victory against Karla Mya Nunez Diaz. Vantika Agrawal completed the clean sweep by overcoming Mary Gonzalez after a longer and more closely contested game.
Divya Deshmukh was rested for the opening round. The Indian Women’s team is seeded first and is considered one of the leading contenders for the title.
The victories by Humpy, Vaishali, Savitha and Vantika gave India seven individual wins from eight games across the two sections. The Indian Express reported that the three Open victories had already sealed the match before Arjun’s game ended.
India’s Round 2 Opponents
India will face Indonesia in the second round of the Open competition, while the Women’s team will play Finland.
The 2026 Chess Olympiad features 11 rounds and runs from September 16 to 27. Each match is contested over four boards, with teams receiving two match points for a victory, one for a draw and none for a defeat.
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