The Svanes lead a stunning 2.5–1.5 victory over Uzbekistan as USA, China and the chasing pack close in with three rounds to go.
Germany produced the result of the day in the Open section, defeating leaders Uzbekistan 2.5–1.5 to throw the race wide open with just three rounds remaining. The Svane brothers delivered the decisive blows on boards three and four, while Javokhir Sindarov continued his unbeaten run with another victory
In the Women’s section, China moved into the sole lead after Kazakhstan and India drew 2–2, with Armenia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan all keeping themselves firmly in contention.
Let’s take a closer look at the action from the playing hall.
Ceremonial moves and Presidential debate
Three ceremonial moves got the eighth round underway in Samarkand. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President from 1995 to 2018 and an honorary citizen of Samarkand, opened play on board one of the Germany – Uzbekistan match, making the ceremonial first move for Vincent Keymer.
Hisham Al Taher, General Secretary of the Asian Chess Federation, replied on behalf of Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
The action then moved to the Women’s section, where Benard Wanjala, President of the African Chess Confederation, made the opening move on table 22 for the South African team.
At the same time, the EXPO area hosted a different kind of chess event: the FIDE Presidential Debate Q&A. Timur Turlov and Jan Henric Buettner introduced themselves before taking questions from journalists for a full hour, covering a wide range of topics related to the future of FIDE and chess.
The third candidate, Wadim Rosenstein, was invited but did not take part in the session.
Open section
Germany stun Uzbekistan at the top
Just when it seemed Uzbekistan were beginning to pull away from the field, Germany produced a stunning 2.5–1.5 victory this afternoon, bringing the leading teams closer together and reopening the race at the top of the standings.
The Svane brothers were the heroes for Germany, winning on boards three and four against Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov respectively. Their two victories more than compensated for Matthias Bluebaum’s defeat on board two against Javokhir Sindarov, who continued his remarkable unbeaten run with 5.5/7.
The final game to finish was on board one, where Nodirbek Abdusattorov had to draw on all his defensive resources to hold Vincent Keymer with the black pieces. Frederik Svane later analysed his victory over Yakubboev in the interview area.
Uzbekistan’s board-five player Mukhiddin Madaminov followed the action closely from the spectators’ area, keeping a watchful eye on his teammates. Germany captain Jan Gustafsson, meanwhile, remained completely unflustered throughout the match, seemingly more absorbed in the pages of his book than the drama unfolding on the boards.
India drops more points, China makes a comeback
India were unable to secure the important victory they needed against Azerbaijan, as all four games ended in solid draws. Vidit returned to the lineup on board four, replacing Nihal Sarin after five rounds on the bench.
Gukesh, playing on board three, was the only Indian player to create a serious winning chance, but a couple of inaccuracies, combined with excellent defensive technique from his opponent Muradli, allowed the game to finish in a draw.
China, meanwhile, desperately needed a win after yesterday’s defeat to get back into the leading pack but faced a difficult opponent in Poland. Ding Liren quickly neutralised Poland’s top player, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, agreeing to a draw on board one.
The games on boards three and four also ended in solid draws after around four hours, leaving China with little room for maneuver.
The only decisive result was recorded on board two, where Wei Yi (undefeated on 5.5/7) worked his magic again.
Sacrifice of the day: Fire on the board
Szymon Gumularz – Wei Yi
Black is already an exchange up and, more importantly, has two extremely dangerous passed pawns deep in the promotion zone. There are several straightforward ways to win, but Wei Yi chooses the most spectacular 32…Qxf3!!, sacrificing his queen to clear the way for the h2-pawn to promote.
After 33.Bxf3 Bxf3 34.Kf2 Rf8!, Black’s threats became impossible to parry. Szymon Gumularz resigned after 35.e4 Bd1+ as 36…h1=Q is unavoidable.
Netherlands and Armenia share the points
The Netherlands and Armenia drew their match 2–2, missing an opportunity to pick up an extra match point and keep pace with the leaders. Jorden van Foreest was on the winning side of a complicated battle against Robert Hovhannisyan, handing the Armenian his first defeat of the tournament.
Shant Sargsyan restored the balance for Armenia by defeating Loek van Wely. After the match, Van Foreest joined Charlize van Zyl in the interviews area, where he shared his thoughts on the match and the Netherlands’ performance.
USA close the gap with crushing victory
Taking full advantage of the results at the top, the United States of America closed the gap with a convincing 3.5–0.5 victory over a strong Serbian team. With just three rounds remaining, the USA are once again firmly in the mix.
On board one, Fabiano Caruana scored his third win of the tournament with a neat tactical blow against Alexey Sarana, while remaining undefeated.
Tactic of the day
Fabiano Caruana – Alexey Sarana
The position, arising from a Najdorf Sicilian with opposite-side castling, is a classic attacking scenario. White has sacrificed the g-pawn, but in return has an open g-file to work with, while Black’s queen is awkwardly placed on h7.
Caruana exploited both factors with the powerful 24.Rxg7!. Black has no satisfactory response. In the game, Sarana took the rook with 24…Kxg7. Alternatively, 24…Qxg7 25.Rg1 Qxg1 26.Bxg1 leaves White’s queen heading towards h6 with decisive consequences.
After 24…Kxg7 25.Bf5, Black’s queen is trapped, and Caruana went on to convert his material advantage without difficulty. One particularly nice variation is 25…Qh8 26.Qg2+ Kf6 27.Qg5#, finishing the game immediately.
Women’s Section
China takes the lead as Kazakhstan and India draw
The match of the day between Kazakhstan and India ended in a 2–2 draw, with Savitha extending her remarkable run to seven consecutive victories. Her win on board three was crucial in offsetting Vaishali’s defeat on board two. The Candidates winner is enduring a difficult tournament, having suffered two losses in her last three games.
China took full advantage of the result, edging past a strong Georgian team 2.5–1.5. Three games ended in draws, while Zhai Mo provided the decisive point with a victory over Lela Javakhishvili on board four. The result moved China to the top of the standings with 15 match points, with Kazakhstan close behind on 14.
Armenia and Mongolia join the chasing pack
Also, on 14 match points and sharing second place are Armenia and Mongolia. Seeded 16th, Armenia produced a major upset by defeating fifth seeds the United States of America 2.5–1.5, a result that leaves the Americans well outside the medal positions. Elina Danielian delivered the decisive blow on board three, defeating Irina Krush, who suffered her second loss in three games.
Mongolia joined Armenia on 14 points after a 2.5–1.5 victory over Bulgaria. Three games were drawn, while Turmunkh Munkhzul secured the match-winning point against Nadya Toncheva.
Uzbekistan also powered through the Netherlands 3–1 to move into the chasing pack on 13 match points. They are joined by 24th seeds Greece, who produced another upset by defeating sixth seeds Ukraine 2.5–1.5, leaving the Ukrainian team with little margin for error in the remaining rounds.
Medals and norms
Along with the team medals and achievements, the Olympiad is a very good tournament to obtain individual board medals, title norms and even direct titles. Starting on round eight (of eleven), the arbiter team is publishing these provisional achievements, which are linked below.
The lists are provisional, subject to the rulings of each title, and will be updated when results of each round get published.
Direct Candidate Master (CM) titles
Direct Women Candidate Master (WCM) titles
Individual board medals (open)
Individual board medals (women)
Full results 46th Chess Olympiad
Written by IM Michael Rahal (FIDE Press Officer)
Photos: Michal Walusza, Rafal Oleksiewicz
Official website: https://chessolympiad2026.fide.com/