India will look to maintain its unbeaten start to the Chess Olympiad when both its Open and women’s teams return to action in Round 4 in Samarkand on Saturday.
The defending Open champion has won all three of its matches so far, beating Italy 3-1 in the previous round. Nihal Sarin continued his perfect start with his third straight win, while D. Gukesh also scored on the fourth board. R. Praggnanandhaa drew on the top board, while Arjun Erigaisi had to hold his nerve to draw Luca Moroni in a 64-move game.
The Indian men now face Spain, with Praggnanandhaa taking on David Anton Guijarro on the top board. Arjun will play Maksim Chigaev, Nihal faces Jaime Santos Latasa, while Gukesh will meet Alexei Shirov.
The Indian women have also made a strong start, beating Greece 3.5-0.5 in Round 3. They face Mongolia in Round 4, with Koneru Humpy, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri B. all set to play.
Open section: Spain vs India
Board 1: David Anton Guijarro vs R. Praggnanandhaa (black)
Board 2: Maksim Chigaev vs Arjun Erigaisi (white)
Board 3: Jaime Santos Latasa vs Nihal Sarin (black)
Board 4: Alexei Shirov vs D. Gukesh (white)
Women’s section: Mongolia vs India
Board 1: Mungunzul Bat-Erdene vs Koneru Humpy (black)
Board 2: Munkhzul Turmunkh vs Vaishali Rameshbabu (white)
Board 3: Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar vs Divya Deshmukh (black)
Board 4: Munguntuul Batkhuyag vs Savitha Shri B (white)
Published on Sep 19, 2026
