Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 24 September 2026 — India's defending champions remain firmly in contention at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, with both teams inside the top three after seven of eleven rounds.

According to Chess.com's round-seven report:

Open section (top five)

Women's section (top five)

India's Open team suffered its only defeat in round six, losing 1–3 to hosts Uzbekistan. Three games were drawn, including Praggnanandhaa against Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Gukesh against Javokhir Vokhidov, but Nihal Sarin lost to Nodirbek Yakubboev after a costly blunder.

India's women's team, seeded first, beat the United States 3–1 in round six, with wins for Koneru Humpy, Savitha Shri and Vantika Agrawal, and a draw for Divya Deshmukh. The team followed that with a 3.5–0.5 win over Germany in round seven.

India won both the Open and Women's gold medals at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, a historic double. Retaining either title in Samarkand would cement India's status as a chess superpower. Uzbekistan's perfect start, on home soil, makes the Open title race particularly tight.

Standings as of the end of round seven. Sources: Chess.com round reports; FIDE.