India Double Delight: Men Win Silver, Women Take Bronze at Chess Olympiad

India signed off from the 46th Chess Olympiad with medals in both sections as the men's team won silver and the women's team secured bronze in Samarkand on Sunday. The double podium finish also helped India retain the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the third consecutive Olympiad.

The Indian men drew 2-2 with Hungary in the final round to finish with 18 match points. They were level with Germany, but India secured the silver medal on the tie-break, while Germany took bronze. Hosts Uzbekistan won the open-section gold with 20 points after defeating Ukraine 2.5-1.5 in the final round. The victory marked Uzbekistan's second Olympiad gold.

India's final-round result against Hungary included a crucial victory by Arjun Erigaisi, who defeated Peter Leko. R Praggnanandhaa drew with Richard Rapport, while Nihal Sarin drew with Benjamin Gledura. D Gukesh, who had been unbeaten in the tournament before the final round, lost to Gleb Dudin. Arjun's win, along with the two draws, ensured India finished the match level at 2-2 and remained ahead of Germany on the relevant tie-break.

India entered the tournament as the defending champions after winning gold in both the open and women's sections at the 2024 Budapest Olympiad. Although neither team could retain its title in Samarkand, India became the only federation to finish on the podium in both sections this year.

In the women's section, India drew 2-2 with Georgia to secure bronze. China won the gold medal with 20 points, while Kazakhstan finished second with 18. The Indian women's team was anchored by Koneru Humpy, who defeated Nana Dzagnidze on the top board. Divya Deshmukh lost to Bella Khotenashvili, while Vantika Agrawal drew with Lela Javakhishvili. On the fourth board, Savitha Shri B held Meri Arabidze to a draw after defending a difficult position.

Savitha was one of India's standout performers throughout the competition. She had defeated Zhai Mo in the previous round against China before drawing her final-round game. The official tournament record shows her finishing with 9 points from 10 games, earning the individual gold medal on Board 5. Divya Deshmukh won individual silver, while Humpy and Vantika claimed individual bronze medals.

Among the Indian men, R Praggnanandhaa won an individual bronze medal, while Gukesh took individual silver on Board 4. Arjun's late victory over Leko proved particularly important in India's final-round fight for the silver medal.

The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the federation with the best combined performance in the Open and Women's sections, went to India for the third successive edition. India had previously won the trophy in 2022 in Chennai and 2024 in Budapest. The 2026 Olympiad was held in Samarkand from September 16 to 27 across 11 rounds.