Chess Olympiad: India men finish with silver; women bronze in Samarkand

• India retained the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for a third straight Chess Olympiad despite missing out on gold in both sections.

• Gukesh and Co. drew 2-2 with Hungary to finish second, with India taking silver ahead of Germany on their head-to-head record.

• Humpy and the Indian women drew 2-2 with Georgia to claim bronze, with China winning gold and Kazakhstan taking silver.

After Chennai in 2022 and Budapest in 2024, it is Samarkand now. The title defence may have eluded India in both the Open and women’s sections at the 2026 Chess Olympiad, but the Indian contingent flexed its collective strength by retaining the prestigious Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy at the conclusion of the Olympiad on Sunday, 27 September.

While D. Gukesh and Co. settled for silver in the Open section after a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Hungary in the final round, senior pro Koneru Humpy and her teammates secured bronze after also drawing 2-2 with Georgia. It marked the third straight edition in which India have won the trophy, having claimed it on home soil in Chennai in 2022, followed by the historic double-gold campaign in Budapest in 2024 and now the combined podium finish in Samarkand.

Created by FIDE in 1997, the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy is awarded to the country with the best combined performance in the Open and women’s sections at the Olympiad. It reflects India’s overall depth and bench strength in the sport. The trophy is named after legendary Georgian player Nona Gaprindashvili, the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title.

Both Indian teams entered the final round with podium chances but could not retain their titles on a tense final day. Their collective consistency across 11 rounds, however, ensured India remained the strongest overall performer across the two sections.

In the Open section, hosts Uzbekistan clinched gold on home soil to repeat their 2022 triumph, while India took silver after their draw with Hungary. India and Germany finished level on 18 match points and 28.5 game points, but India secured silver courtesy of their head-to-head victory over Germany, who settled for bronze.

The day began with reigning world champion Gukesh suffering a shock defeat on Board 4 to Gleb Dudin. Arjun Erigaisi, however, beat Peter Leko on Board 2 to secure a vital point for India. R. Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin were both held to draws by Richard Rapport on Board 1 and Benjamin Gledura on Board 3 respectively.

In the women’s section, China produced a dominant run to clinch gold with a round to spare. Kazakhstan took silver, while India secured bronze after holding Georgia to a 2-2 draw, anchored by Humpy’s win on the top board and a crucial defensive hold by teenager Savitha Shri B.

Final standings

Open section
Gold: Uzbekistan
Silver: India
Bronze: Germany

Women’s section
Gold: China
Silver: Kazakhstan
Bronze: India