Swayams Mishra. File
| Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout
A formidable Indian squad has been named for the women’s event in the upcoming chess Olympiad and will be the pre-tournament favourite. However, the team captain Swayams Mishra is not leaving anything to chance.
The Indian team comprising Koneru Humpy, R. Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and B. Savitha Shri, will be among the strongest and Mishra said the focus will be on preparing well and taking it one match at a time.
“India will be among the strongest contenders. We have a balanced team, but the Olympiad is a long event, so our focus will be on preparing well and taking it one match at a time,” he told The Hindu.
He said there were plans to hold a preparatory camp before the Olympiad, subject to player availability.
The Indian women had a wonderful campaign in 2024 in Budapest, winning the gold ahead of powerhouses like China, the USA, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. This year’s tournament will be held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) from September 15 to 27.
“China will be a major contender, along with teams like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine, and the USA. Every match will be challenging,” Mishra said.
The captain is quietly confident of the team’s prospects but struck a note of caution.
“Being the defending champions brings confidence, but this is a new Olympiad and every event starts afresh. The players are professionals who understand that past results don’t guarantee future success, so our focus will be on performing our best,” he added.
Published – July 25, 2026 11:25 pm IST
