India continued to have a flawless start to the Chess Olympiad 2026 on Saturday, winning both parts 3-1 in Samarkand. While the Women’s team defeated Mongolia to record their fourth straight victory, the Open team triumphed over Spain.
According to the FIDE website, India won thanks to wins by Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh, while draws were obtained by R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Maksim Chigaev in 36 moves, while Gukesh defeated Alexei Shirov in 42 moves.
India’s standing among the undefeated teams in both categories was strengthened by the fourth-round results. The defending champions maintained their flawless four-match record in the Open section with their 3-1 victory against Spain, and the women’s team did the same against Mongolia. The Netherlands in the Open division and Poland in the Women’s division are India’s next opponents.
India’s Historic Triumph
Praggnanandhaa, playing on the top board, drew his game, while Nihal also held his opponent with the black pieces. Praggnanandhaa drew with David Anton in 38 moves, while Nihal Sarin held Jaime Santos to a draw after 30 moves, completing India’s 3-1 victory over Spain.
The result kept India among the teams with a perfect four wins from four matches in the Open section. China, hosts Uzbekistan, Germany, Armenia, the USA, the Netherlands and Hungary were also unbeaten after four rounds.
In the Women’s section, also maintained its perfect team record, defeating Mongolia 3-1. Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri won their games, while the matches on the first two boards ended in draws. Savitha remained unbeaten with a perfect 4/4. Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali rounded off the results with draws on the top two boards. Humpy split the point with Bat-Erdene Mungunzul after 82 moves, while Vaishali drew with Turmunkh Munkhzul following a 75-move battle.