The leading teams field their strongest line-ups as Samarkand delivers another fascinating day of chess.
Round two of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand brought many of the world’s leading players into action, as the top seeds largely decided that it was time to put their strongest line-ups on the board. With the first points already secured, the focus shifted to maintaining momentum, although several matches proved considerably more competitive than the ratings suggested.
From impressive debuts by established stars to a few unexpected results and some spectacular tactical finishes, there was plenty to keep the packed playing hall entertained.
Let’s take a closer look at the action from the playing hall.
Two ceremonial first moves were performed today.
On board one of the Open section match between the United States of America and Mongolia, Mohamed Al Mudahka, FIDE Technical Delegate and President of the Qatar Chess Federation, made the symbolic opening move 1.d4.
A few moments later, Komil Sindarov, Vice President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, also opened with 1.d4 in the Women’s top-board encounter between Finland and India.
Although the second-round pairings were not expected to produce too many upsets, few teams were willing to rest their top players for a second consecutive day. As a result, spectators who flocked to the playing hall for the start of the round were treated to the debuts of some of the best players in the world.
The challenger to the upcoming World Championship match, Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, led his team to a convincing 3.5–0.5 victory over the young Peruvian squad.
Checkmate of the day
Flores Quillas – Javokhir Sindarov
Sindarov had played a virtually perfect game up to this point, registering an outstanding 98% accuracy. His extra pawn should have been more than enough to secure the win – 31…Qa1, for example, comes to mind. But the challenger wanted to make a statement.
Instead, he uncorked the fantastic 31…Kf7!!, sacrificing his queen for the second time in the game.
Flores Quillas could perhaps have resigned at this point but elegantly accepted the gift with 32.Qxf1. This allowed Sindarov to complete the combination with 32…Rh3!!, threatening a spectacular checkmate with 33…h6! The mate can be delayed, but not prevented.
Fabiano Caruana made his debut on board one for the USA with a powerful performance against Mongolia’s Sumiya Bilguun. Combined with Levon Aronian’s narrow win and Hans Niemann’s solid draw, the result was enough to secure the match victory despite a major surprise on board four.
There, Awonder Liang, rated 2693, was defeated by Khuyagtsogt Itgelt, rated 2435. Playing White, the Mongolian produced an outstanding performance, beautifully punishing Liang’s risky choice of the Benoni and completely dismantling his opponent’s position.
Defending champions India had a tough outing against Indonesia, who put up determined resistance throughout the match. Three draws, with Gukesh, Vidit and Praggnanandhaa all held to half a point, were compensated by Nihal Sarin’s fantastic lone win, allowing India to remain among the leading teams in the standings.
One of the heroes of the match was Indonesian teenager Satria Duta, who held reigning World Champion Gukesh to a draw. Delighted with his result, the young Indonesian happily agreed to an interview with Charlize van Zyl.
China’s board one, former World Champion Ding Liren, has been fielded in both of the first two rounds. After winning yesterday, he was held to a draw today by Chile’s Rodrigo Vásquez Schroeder, having miscalculated in what had been a very promising position.
Fortunately for China, Wei Yi made his debut on board two at just the right moment. The Chinese star produced a fantastic performance, featuring a trademark exchange sacrifice, to help his team secure an important 3–1 victory over Chile.
Ding Liren also shared his thoughts on China’s prospects in Samarkand in his post-game interview.
World number six Vincent Keymer, 21, made his debut for Germany this afternoon with a smooth positional grind against Saidakbar Saydaliev of Uzbekistan 3.
Tactic of the day
Vincent Keymer – Saidakbar Saydaliev
Black was under pressure but could have kept the game going with a move such as 30…Bb7. Instead, Saydaliev lashed out with 30…g5, attempting to drive the knight away, but was immediately punished by the tactical 31.Nxe6!
After 31…Rxe6 (31…Nxe6 would lose to 32.Rxc6) Keymer continued with 32.Bxe6+ Kxe6, reaching the key moment of the combination.
The German star then found the beautiful 33.Bc7!, after which his opponent resigned. The point is that either knight or bishop cannot be saved, leaving Black with no way to avoid losing material.
Germany won the match by a clear 3.5–0.5. Their opponents, Uzbekistan 3, are a young team of promising prospects, all born between 2001 and 2008.As the host nation, Uzbekistan has the right to field two teams instead of one, while a third team is frequently added when the total number of teams is uneven.
In a post-game interview with Charlize van Zyl, Keymer said he enjoys team events and was pleased with the chemistry within the German squad.
Other leading teams, including the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, France, Armenia, England, Ukraine, Poland and Spain, also came through with victories, although several of them dropped a point or point and a half along the way.
Whereas the leading teams in the Open section are already beginning to lose points here and there, the Women’s section is still producing some emphatic 4–0 victories at the top of the standings.
Local favorites Uzbekistan crushed Ecuador with relatively quick wins on all four boards, recording exactly the same score as the United States of America in their match against Belgium. Both 17-year-old Afruza Khamdamova and 23-year-old Carissa Yip made their Samarkand debuts on board one and marked the occasion with convincing victories.
Seed number three, Kazakhstan, however, had to settle for a 3–1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. On board one, Milana Babić held debutant Bibisara Assaubayeva to a draw.
And no doubt the upset of the day was Montenegro’s 2-2 tie against seed number two Georgia, mainly due to Alena Skvortsova defeating Bella Khotenashvili on board two and Aleksandra Milovic overcoming Lela Javakhishvili on board three.
Defending champions India comfortably defeated Finland 3.5–0.5, with Vaishali held to a draw on board one. China recorded exactly the same score against Colombia, while other leading women’s teams such as Ukraine and Azerbaijan proved their strength with convincing 4–0 victories.
Further down the standings, one team I always like to keep an eye on is Sweden, who defeated Paraguay this afternoon. The squad is headed by the legendary Pia Cramling, who, at 63, has already participated in 16 Olympiads, several of them in the Open section.
Chess is very much a family affair for the Cramlings. Pia’s daughter, Anna Cramling, plays on board four, while her husband, Juan Manuel Bellón, is a well-known Grandmaster and regular captain of the Swedish team.
Results of the five top matches in the Open section:
United States of America 2.5–1.5 Mongolia
Indonesia 1.5–2.5 India
Uzbekistan 3.5–1.5 Peru
Chile 1–3 China
Germany 3.5 – 0.5 Uzbekistan 3
Results of the five top matches in the Women’s section:
Finland 0.5–3.5 India
Georgia 2–2 Montenegro
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–3 Kazakhstan
China 3.5–0.5 Colombia
Belgium 0–4 United States of America
Full results 46th Chess Olympiad
Written by IM Michael Rahal, FIDE Press Officer
Photos: Michal Walusza, RafalOleksiewicz
Official website: https://chessolympiad2026.fide.com/