Defending champions India began their FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 campaign with victories in both the Open and women’s sections, though the Open team was made to work for a 3-1 win over Thailand.
R Praggnanandhaa was rested for the opening-round match, with Arjun Erigaisi featuring on the top board. Arjun suffered a surprise 0-1 defeat against Prin Laohawirapap, while Nihal Sarin, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and Vidit Gujrathi secured wins on the remaining boards.
Nihal defeated Thanadon Kulpruethanon with the black pieces, before Gukesh beat Faris Rashid Alriyami and Vidit overcame Tupfah Khumnorkaew to seal the team victory.
Hosts Uzbekistan made a strong start with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica, while the United States dropped points after Levon Aronian was held to a draw by Iraq’s Ali Ehsan Aryan.
In the women’s section, India began their title defence with a commanding 4-0 win over the Dominican Republic. Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali and Savita Shri Baskar registered comfortable victories, while Vantika Agrawal secured a hard-fought win.
With Divya Deshmukh rested, Vantika moved to the third board and faced Mary Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s 45th-move error allowed Vantika to trade queens and create a clear route towards pawn promotion, completing India’s clean sweep.
