Chess Olympiad 2026: India Win Open Silver & Women’s Bronze; Savitha Shri Takes Board Gold
Chess Olympiad 2026: India Win Open Silver & Women’s Bronze; Savitha Shri Takes Board Gold
India finished the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with medals in both sections, securing silver in the Open section and bronze in the Women’s section.
The result gave India another strong finish on the international stage and also secured the country the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup, awarded for the best combined performance across the Open and Women’s competitions.
The individual performances added another highlight to India's campaign. Savitha Shri won gold on the Women's reserve board, while Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh, Humpy Koneru and Vantika Agrawal also finished among the individual board medalists.
India Win Two Team Medals in Samarkand
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad concluded in Samarkand with Uzbekistan winning the Open title and China taking gold in the Women's section.
India finished second in the Open section after drawing 2–2 with Hungary in the final round. Germany took the Open bronze.
In the Women's section, India secured bronze after a 2–2 draw against Georgia. China won the gold medal, while Kazakhstan finished second.
Final Team Podiums
Open Section
| Position | Team | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 🥇 Gold |
| 2 | India | 🥈 Silver |
| 3 | Germany | 🥉 Bronze |
Women's Section
| Position | Team | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 🥇 Gold |
| 2 | Kazakhstan | 🥈 Silver |
| 3 | India | 🥉 Bronze |
India's two podium finishes also gave the country the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup for the best combined performance across the two sections.
Savitha Shri Wins Individual Gold
One of India's biggest individual highlights came from Savitha Shri B.
Playing on the fifth board, the reserve board, Savitha finished the Olympiad with 9 points from 10 games, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament.
Her performance earned her the individual gold medal on Women's Board 5.
Savitha's consistency was also crucial to India's Women's team campaign. She produced wins throughout the tournament and finished with a 2569 performance rating.
Her individual gold made her the only Indian player to win a board gold medal at the 2026 Olympiad.
India’s Individual Board Medalists
India finished the Olympiad with six individual board medals across the Open and Women's sections.
Open Section
| Board | Indian Player | Medal | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board 1 | R Praggnanandhaa | 🥉 Bronze | 6.5/10 |
| Board 4 | Gukesh D | 🥈 Silver | 8.5/11 |
Women's Section
| Board | Indian Player | Medal | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board 1 | Koneru Humpy | 🥉 Bronze | 7/10 |
| Board 3 | Divya Deshmukh | 🥈 Silver | 6.5/10 |
| Board 4 | Vantika Agrawal | 🥉 Bronze | 6/8 |
| Board 5 | Savitha Shri B | 🥇 Gold | 9/10 |
India's six individual medals came across four different boards in the two sections, with Savitha Shri's gold the standout result.
Open Section: Board Medal Winners
The Open section produced five individual board champions, including the reserve board.
| Board | 🥇 Gold | 🥈 Silver | 🥉 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board 1 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş | R Praggnanandhaa |
| Board 2 | Wei Yi | Jorden van Foreest | Javokhir Sindarov |
| Board 3 | Frederik Svane | Nodirbek Yakubboev | Shant Sargsyan |
| Board 4 | Ihor Samunenkov | Gukesh D | Levon Aronian |
| Board 5 | Gleb Dudin | Daniil Yuffa | Vladimir Hamitevici |
Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov took individual gold on Board 1 with a 2869 performance rating.
Wei Yi won Board 2, Germany's Frederik Svane topped Board 3 and Ukraine's Ihor Samunenkov won Board 4.
On the reserve board, Hungary's Gleb Dudin claimed gold.
India's Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh finished with individual bronze and silver respectively.
Women's Section: Board Medal Winners
The Women's competition also featured five individual board medal groups.
| Board | 🥇 Gold | 🥈 Silver | 🥉 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board 1 | Zhu Jiner | Carissa Yip | Koneru Humpy |
| Board 2 | Alice Lee | Mariam Mkrtchyan | Song Yuxin |
| Board 3 | Lu Miaoyi | Divya Deshmukh | Bella Khotenashvili |
| Board 4 | Elnaz Kaliakhmet | Ineymig Hernandez Gil | Vantika Agrawal |
| Board 5 | Savitha Shri B | Thi Mai Hung Nguyen | Vesna Mihelic |
China's Zhu Jiner won Board 1, while Alice Lee of the United States took Board 2.
China's 16-year-old Lu Miaoyi produced an unbeaten 9.5/11 performance to claim Board 3 gold.
Kazakhstan's Elnaz Kaliakhmet won Board 4.
The reserve-board gold went to India's Savitha Shri after her outstanding 9/10 score.
Gukesh Finishes with Board Silver
World Champion Gukesh D finished with an individual silver medal on Board 4.
Gukesh scored 8.5/11, with seven wins, three draws and one loss.
His only defeat came in the final round against Hungary's Gleb Dudin. Despite the loss, Gukesh retained the individual silver medal on the board.
The final-round result was part of a dramatic finish for India in the Open section. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Peter Leko, helping India draw the match against Hungary 2–2 and secure the team silver.
Praggnanandhaa Takes Board 1 Bronze
R Praggnanandhaa added another individual medal for India with bronze on Board 1.
He finished with 6.5/10, placing behind individual gold winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov and silver medalist Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş.
The Board 1 medal added to India's strong individual showing in the Open section.
Four Indian Women Among the Individual Medalists
India's Women's team produced four individual board medals.
Humpy Koneru won bronze on Board 1 after scoring 7/10.
Divya Deshmukh secured silver on Board 3 with 6.5/10.
Vantika Agrawal took bronze on Board 4 after scoring 6/8.
And Savitha Shri completed India's individual medal haul with gold on Board 5.
Together, their performances helped India finish third in the Women's team competition.
India’s Chess Olympiad 2026 Medal Tally
India's final haul in Samarkand included:
- 🥈 Open Team — Silver
- 🥉 Women's Team — Bronze
- 🏆 Nona Gaprindashvili Cup
- 🥇 Savitha Shri — Women's Board 5
- 🥈 Gukesh — Open Board 4
- 🥈 Divya Deshmukh — Women's Board 3
- 🥉 Praggnanandhaa — Open Board 1
- 🥉 Humpy Koneru — Women's Board 1
- 🥉 Vantika Agrawal — Women's Board 4
India Ends Samarkand Campaign with Six Individual Medals
India's 2026 Chess Olympiad campaign ended without team gold, but with medals in both sections and the Gaprindashvili Cup for the best combined performance.
The Open team finished second behind hosts Uzbekistan, while the Women's team took third behind China and Kazakhstan.
At the individual level, India's six board medals included Savitha Shri's gold, two silver medals and three bronze medals.
For Savitha, the tournament ended with a perfect individual distinction: an unbeaten 9/10 score and gold on the Women's reserve board.
The 2026 Olympiad therefore became another significant chapter for Indian chess, with the country's strength reflected not only in its team results but also across multiple individual boards.
Source note for SportzPulse: Final team results and board gold medalists are confirmed by FIDE's official closing report; individual Indian scores and medal positions are cross-checked against Chess-Results and contemporary reporting.