Chess Olympiad: India wins silver in Open section; women claim bronze

The men won the silver, and the women the bronze. India, the defending champion in both the open and women’s sections, could not repeat the stunning twin success of 2024, but at least finished with team medals at the Chess Olympiad.

In the open section, host Uzbekistan emerged as the champion, while China came up with a dominant show to win the women’s title despite not fielding some of its best players. On the final day, the Indian men drew with Hungary 2-2, while the women shared the honours with Georgia (2-2).

The Indian men finished with 18 points, two less than the host, which defeated Ukraine 2.5-1.5. Germany, which surprised many, won the bronze after its 2.5-1.5 win over the Netherlands.

Arjun Erigaisi’s win over Peter Leko on the second board proved crucial, as D. Gukesh was beaten by Gleb Dudin. R. Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin drew their games.