Uzbekistan keeps marching towards gold as its two Nodirbeks continue to deliver
With the finish line beginning to come into view, every half-point is becoming increasingly valuable in Samarkand. Uzbekistan continue to lead the Open section, with the two Nodirbeks playing a central role in the hosts’ impressive run, while a crowded chasing pack is still fighting to stay within striking distance. With only a handful of rounds remaining, the pressure is rising and there is little room for a slip.
In the Women’s section, China and Kazakhstan remain locked in a tie at the top after their direct encounter, while India, Georgia, Armenia and several other strong teams continue to battle for position. Surprises are becoming increasingly costly at this stage of the Olympiad, as every match can have a major impact on the medal race.
Let’s take a closer look at the action from the playing hall.
Ceremonial moves across the playing hall
Ceremonial opening moves are generally performed on the top boards, but occasionally politicians and dignitaries from other countries travel to the Olympiad and, naturally, would like to open the game for their own teams.
That, however, involves a little extra coordination. The media has to move swiftly from board to board, which is no easy task in a 163-meter-long playing hall!
The first dignitary to make a ceremonial move was Mrs. Veronique Herminie, First Lady of the Republic of Seychelles, who opened her country’s women’s team game on board two with 1.e4.
Media attention then shifted to the match between Barbados and Aruba, where Mr. Chad Blackman, Minister of Educational Transformation and Member of Parliament for St. James North, Barbados, made the ceremonial move on board one.
The third ceremonial move took place on board one of the Costa Rica–Latvia match. Mr. Donald Rojas Fernández, National Director of the Costa Rican Institute of Sport and Recreation, opened the game for Costa Rica’s number-one player, IM Leonardo Valdés Romero.
Finally, everyone hurried back to the top board, where Mr. Husen Tuxtaev, Deputy Governor of the Samarkand Region for Youth Policy, Social Development, and Spiritual and Educational Affairs, opened Nodirbek Abdusattorov’s game with 1.e3, amidst a flurry of photographers and television cameras.
“A very solid move,” remarked Christian Chirila from the commentary booth. Peter Svidler immediately added his own humorous assessment: “Everything is protected – 1.e4 puts a pawn on an unprotected square. That is just not on!”
Open section
Uzbekistan take another step towards gold
It is always interesting to see how players react after a much-needed free day. Some take the opportunity to play sports, others explore Samarkand, and some even join an online “Titled Tuesday”. Most, however, simply use the break to catch up on some well-deserved rest and recharge their batteries for the latter stages of the tournament.
Yet a brisk walk around the venue quickly made it apparent that many players are still feeling the strain, particularly those who have had little opportunity to take a round off. Uzbekistan, however, appear to be the exception. All five members of their squad are young and energetic, and they have shown an impressive ability to bring their A-game to the board day after day.
This afternoon, they took another giant step towards gold by defeating China 3–1 in convincing fashion. Uzbekistan won with White on boards one and three, while the other two games were drawn, giving the hosts another emphatic team victory against one of the strongest contenders in the field.
Abdusattorov strikes, Yakubboev keeps rolling
On board one, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, now on an impressive 5.5/7, handed Ding Liren his first defeat of the tournament. His victory was built on excellent opening preparation, which gave him a huge advantage on the clock and allowed him to play with considerable time in hand throughout the game.
Although it was not easy to catch him immediately after such an intense battle, FIDE’s own Charlize van Zyl was the first reporter to get hold of Abdusattorov for a quick interview once he had managed to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, the second Nodirbek in the Uzbekistan team, Yakubboev, ground down Yu Yangyi in a tricky endgame to score his fifth win in his last six games. At this rate, it would hardly be surprising to see him fighting for an individual medal as well.
Armenia hold USA as India keep their hopes alive
Combined with Armenia’s result, the victory leaves Uzbekistan two full match points clear of their nearest challengers, while they also enjoy a substantial advantage on the tiebreak. With four rounds still to play, the hosts have put themselves in an extremely strong position in the race for gold
In fact, even though they could not quite keep pace with Uzbekistan, Armenia’s 2–2 draw against the United States was a massive result for the underdogs. Awonder Liang finally picked up his second win on board four, while Wesley So seriously misplayed a tricky rook ending involving passed pawns and was forced to resign against Robert Hovhannisyan.
Although their average rating is significantly lower than that of the top seeds, Armenia are an extremely tight-knit team who know each other very well and have collected numerous medals in major team events. They may not always attract the same attention as the top seeds, but they can never be taken lightly.
After their defeat to Uzbekistan, India had little choice but to beat England if they were to keep their medal hopes alive. They duly delivered a 2.5–1.5 victory, winning on boards one and four. Gukesh D, in particular, continued his outstanding tournament, moving to an impressive 6/7 and firmly putting himself in the conversation for an individual medal.
England, meanwhile, opted to rest third-board Gawain Jones – although he was still very much involved in the match, taking his place as captain!
Position of the day – Praggnanandhaa finds a stunning counterattack
Nikita Vitiugov – Praggnanandhaa R
With both kings castled on opposite sides of the board, anything can happen, and sometimes a game can be decided by a single tempo. White’s Nikita Vitiugov has launched a dangerous-looking kingside attack: he has just played 26.Rg4, putting pressure on the g7-pawn. Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa’s own pawn on b2 appears to be getting in the way of his attack, although White is also using it as an important shield for his king.
India’s board-one player, however, understood perfectly that g7-pawn could be sacrificed. Instead of the natural 26…g6, he unleashed the fantastic 26…Bd3!!, a brilliant counterattack that piles pressure on the c2-pawn while simultaneously adding protection to his own king.
The bishop cannot be taken because of …Rc1 mate, so Vitiugov tried 27.Nd2, attacking the bishop with his queen. Praggnanandhaa responded with another stunning move, 27…Rc3!!, protecting the bishop and threatening Bxc2+, which would win the queen.
The game continued 28.Rxg7+ Kh8 29.Qg4, when Praggnanandhaa found 29…Rbc8! and there was simply no way to protect the c2-pawn. Vitiugov resigned a move later.
The key point is that 30.cxd3? fails to 30…Rc1+ 31.Kxb2 Qb4+ 32.Nb3 a3#, a spectacular mating pattern that neatly illustrates why the bishop on d3 could not be captured.
Germany and Netherlands keep the pressure on
Still fighting to catch the medal places, Germany moved up with a convincing 3–1 victory over Türkiye. The Netherlands also strengthened their position for the final rounds with an impressive 3.5–0.5 win against Bulgaria, while Azerbaijan remain firmly in the mix after defeating Greece by the same score.
And in the outfit department, South Africa certainly caught my eye today. After so many impressive team looks on display in Samarkand, could they be a new contender for the unofficial outfit award?
Women’s Section
China and Kazakhstan share the spoils
The match of the day was undoubtedly China against Kazakhstan, with both teams arriving on an incredible six-game winning streak. Two solid draws on the first two boards – although Alua Nurman may have missed a chance in the endgame – left the match to be decided on boards three and four.
There was a win apiece, leaving the overall score tied at 2–2. For China, however, Lu Miaoyi once again underlined her remarkable tournament, scoring her sixth point in seven games. The young star is now firmly in contention for an individual medal.
India keep the pressure on
In the chasing pack, nobody wants to be left behind. India powered past Germany with a convincing 3.5–0.5 victory, while Georgia edged Poland 2.5–1.5 to keep their hopes alive. One of the surprises of the day came from Bulgaria, who defeated the powerful Ukraine 3–1, with wins by Krasteva and Antova on the bottom boards.
Armenia versus Azerbaijan is a classic chess rivalry, and this time it went Armenia’s way, 2.5–1.5. The United States also kept their options open with a 3–1 victory over Switzerland, while France suffered a setback later in the day, losing 2.5–1.5 to Mongolia in the second big surprise of the women’s section.
Uzbekistan get back on track
The host team Uzbekistan bounced back with a convincing 3.5–0.5 victory over Slovenia, although they will need to pick up the pace if they are to make a serious push for the top three. On board one, Afruza Khamdamova produced a fine attacking game to defeat Laura Unuk before joining Charlize in the interview booth to discuss the victory.
Written by IM Michael Rahal (FIDE Press Officer)
Photos: Michal Walusza, Rafal Oleksiewicz
Official website: https://chessolympiad2026.fide.com/