Several of the top teams remain unbeaten after another action-packed day in both sections at the Samarkand Expo venue
Four rounds are now in the books, and the Chess Olympiad is beginning to reveal its first clear patterns. The leading teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack, but the margins remain narrow at the top, with several heavyweight encounters producing hard-fought battles.
In the Open section, China, the host nation Uzbekistan, Germany, Armenia, the USA, India, the Netherlands, and Hungary remain perfect, winning all four starting matches.
The Women’s section is equally competitive, with a large group still boasting perfect records after another day of convincing victories. India, Kazakhstan, China and the USA all maintained their winning runs, while a number of individual players have also emerged with flawless scores.
Let’s take a closer look at the action from the playing hall.
The fourth round began with a minute of silence in memory of Georgios Makropoulos, a longstanding figure in FIDE leadership and a devoted servant of chess.
As President of the Greek Chess Federation, Makropoulos played a key role in bringing two Chess Olympiads to his native Thessaloniki, in 1984 and 1988. He was part of FIDE’s leadership from 1986, serving in several senior positions, including Deputy President and Vice President. He dedicated his life to the game and made a lasting contribution to chess both in Greece and internationally.
With the last-minute arrival of the Marshall Islands, the total number of teams in the Open section has risen to a record-breaking 206, while the Women’s section remains at 189 teams. A fitting milestone to coincide with the visit of Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister, Abdulla Aripov, who was present at the Olympiad on this historic day.
The Olympiad brings together, every two years, many of the best players in the world, as no one wants to miss this great chess festival. Yet not all of them are taking their seats at the board. As their playing careers enter a different phase, many Grandmasters transition into coaching and leadership roles, accompanying their teams as captains during the rounds.
A quiet walk around the venue allowed me to spot quite a few familiar faces, most of them formidable players in their own right. Perhaps the strongest of them is Teimour Radjabov, who has been among the world’s elite for the past 25 years. Still ranked number two in Azerbaijan, Radjabov has gradually stepped away from competitive classical chess and embraced a leadership role with the national team.
Former World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov is another prominent example, now helping guide a new generation of exceptionally strong Uzbek players. Other elite captains include Ivan Cheparinov (Türkiye; pictured above), Evgeny Bareev (Canada), Alexander Beliavsky (Ukraine), Jan Gustafsson (Germany) and Ivan Sokolov (Romania), alongside a large number of other seasoned Grandmasters who are now making their contribution from the sidelines.
Open section
Big clashes were taking place on the top boards this afternoon, with barely 100 rating points separating many of the opponents. The strength of the Indian team is particularly striking when you consider that World Champion Gukesh D is playing on India’s fourth board!
The first match to finish among the top teams was Uzbekistan’s 2.5-1.5 victory over Türkiye. Three solid draws on boards one, two, and four left Nodirbek Yakubboev to get the job done on board three.
His teammates quickly realised that he had emerged from the opening with a significant advantage, and Yakubboev duly converted it into the decisive point.
India’s match against Spain was decided by a 3-1 score, although the encounter was far from lacking in excitement. Praggnanandhaa and his opponent agreed to a draw on board one, while on board three India also held firm with Black.
Arjun Erigaisi and Gukesh then delivered the decisive blows, both producing powerful attacking games to secure the match for India. Erigaisi’s opponent, Maksim Chigaev, was visibly upset after the game and complained to both captains, but the final 3-1 scoreline was never in doubt.
The United States had a tough outing against Ukraine, especially after Levon Aronian ran into serious trouble in the opening against Roman Dehtiarov, the reigning European champion. An early draw by Hans Niemann was followed by Wesley So’s third consecutive win, underlining his excellent form so far.
Aronian then found a remarkable way back into the game with a positional queen sacrifice, eventually turning the tables and securing the win. Fabiano Caruana added another point with a superb positional grind against veteran Ukrainian star Vasyl Ivanchuk.
China notched up another comfortable 3-1 victory, this time against the strong Serbian team. Wei Yi continued his perfect run, improving to 3/3 after defeating Aleksandar Indjic with a fascinating tactical idea that I had never seen before.
Tactic of the day
Wei Yi – Aleksandar Indjic
Black is clearly under pressure, but how do you make progress? Wei Yi always seems to find a way.
He played 32.Nxf7! Rxf7 and now came the brilliant 33.Ne6!, hitting the queen. Interestingly, the queen has very few safe squares, and after 33…Qb8, Wei Yi continued with 34.Bg3! Qa8 35.Nc7!, employing what can only be described as a “windmill tactic” – but this time against the queen rather than the king.
The game continued 35…Qb8 36.Nxd5 (after a repetition of moves) Qa8 37.Nc7 Qb8, and after 38.Bc4 the game was essentially over – Indjic capitulated six moves down the road.
The Netherlands are often flying under the radar during the first few rounds, but their victory over Greece today has put them firmly among the leaders. Anish Giri continued his perfect start with a fourth consecutive win, and Charlize took the opportunity to catch up with him for a short interview, in which he spoke about the team dynamics and the importance of working together.
Armenia, Germany and Hungary are the other three teams to have won all their matches so far. Together with the Netherlands, they will occupy the top spots in tomorrow’s pairings.
Results of the five top matches in the Open section:
Uzbekistan vs Turkiye: 2.5-1.5
USA vs. Ukraine: 3.5-0.5
Spain vs. India: 1-3
Serbia vs. China: 1-3
Germany vs. Poland: 2.5-1.5
Women’s Section
Playing on board one, Uzbekistan scored a convincing 3-1 victory over Argentina. A nice tactical sequence appeared on board three, where Umida Omonova continued her perfect start to the Olympiad with a fourth consecutive win.
Tactic of the day
Umida Omonova – Anapoala Borda Rodas
Omonova had been pressing for most of the game, but until this moment Borda Rodas had defended accurately. A move such as 34…Kg8 would have given Black very decent chances of holding the draw.
Unfortunately, in an attempt to simplify as quickly as possible, Borda Rodas played 34…Rg4? – a serious mistake. After 35.Be3+! Kg7 36.Rxg4 Bxg4 37.Rg5+, White won a piece and Black had to resign.
India also dismantled Mongolia, with draws on the first two boards and Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri winning on boards three and four respectively. Savitha remains perfect, with an impressive 4/4.
Charlize van Zyl spoke to Divya immediately after her victory.
Kazakhstan also extended its winning run to four matches by defeating Armenia. Bibisara Assaubayeva notched up her first win of the event on board one, finishing with a powerful kingside attack.
The USA overpowered Spain 3.5-0.5, with Ann Matnadze scoring the only half-point for “La Roja”. Carissa Yip and Tatev Abrahamyan are both on 3/3, while Alice Lee, playing on board two, has won all four of her games.
China continued to dominate, cruising past Hungary 3.5-0.5. Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, and Serbia also recorded comfortable victories and join the leaders with four match wins from four rounds.
Results of the five top matches in the Women’s section:
Uzbekistan vs. Argentina: 3-1
Mongolia vs. India: 1-3
Armenia vs. Kazakhstan: 1-3
China vs. Hungary: 3.5-0.5
Spain vs. USA: 0.5-3.5
Full results 46th Chess Olympiad
Written by IM Michael Rahal (FIDE Press Officer)
Photos: Michal Walusza, Rafal Oeksiewicz and Mark Livshitz
Official website: https://chessolympiad2026.fide.com/