There was no repeat of the glory of Budapest, but India’s men and women managed to climb the podium nevertheless.

India had arrived in Samarkand as the defending champion in both the open and women’s sections of the Chess Olympiad. In 2024, India had indeed created history with a show that underlined its status as a powerhouse in the mind game.

So the expectations about India retaining both the crowns were high. And the country had players to do the job. Yes, there were concerns about the form of D. Gukesh. But, the World champion opted to play on the fourth board, and not on the first, which he did at Budapest and before that at home in Chennai (Mamallapuram) in 2022.

He was brilliant in both those tournaments and won the individual gold medal, too. He clinched silver this time around, and contributed significantly to his team. A loss in the final round, in the match against Hungary notwithstanding, he showed what he is capable of.

With his World title match against Javokhir Sindarov coming up in a couple of months’ time, he should be in a better frame of mind now than he was before the Olympiad got underway.

Another player from Chennai, B. Savitha Shri, must be feeling even better. She won individual gold as the reserve player and remained unbeaten. More importantly, she struck for the women’s team almost as if on demand. She would either win or at least draw whenever her team needed.

Divya with the inaugural Best Chess Player (Female) award.
| Photo Credit:
FIDE

It is no small feat to win eight out of the 10 games at an Olympiad. Savitha has always shown promise. Now she seems to be ready for bigger things. This could be a turning point in her career.

Savitha wasn’t the only member of the Indian women’s team to win an individual medal. Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and the often underrated Vantika Agrawal also excelled on their respective boards. The only one to miss out was R. Vaishali.

Her younger brother R. Praggnanandhaa claimed bronze in the open section. He had the difficult task of playing on the top board. But the Indian team management’s decision to assign him for the games against the strongest players at the Olympiad was hardly surprising. He had been in fantastic form.

But, it wasn’t the perfect Olympiad for him. Just as it wasn’t for India, but that is because the bar keeps rising for Indian chess.

History repeated itself at the Chess Olympiad on Sunday.

Poland defeated the top-seeded India in the women’s event 2.5-1.5 at Samarkand; it was the exact scoreline in Budapest two years ago. That loss had come in the eighth round. India, however, bounced strongly back to win the title. This time around, it happened in the fifth round, and the defeat is indeed a setback to the defending champion.

After the games involving Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal were all drawn, the fate of the match rested on the second-board clash between R. Vaishali and Aleksandra Maltsevskaya. The Chennai Grandmaster, with black pieces, was three pawns down when she resigned on the 57th move.

Vaishali’s younger brother R. Praggnanandhaa, however, scored an important win for India in the open section. He defeated Anish Giri, as the reigning champion won the match against the Netherlands 3-1.

D. Gukesh also won, while there were draws for Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin. The open event also saw Germany pull off a shocking 2.5-1.5 win over top-seeded United States.

Important results (fifth round): Open: India bt Netherlands 3-1 (R. Praggnanandhaa bt Anish Giri; Arjun Erigaisi drew with Jorden van Foreest; Nihal Sarin drew with Loek van Wely; D. Gukesh bt Erwin L’Ami); Uzbekistan bt Hungary 4-0; Germany bt USA 2.5-1.5; Armenia drew with China 2-2; France bt Czechia 2.5-1.5; England bt Georgia 2.5-1.5; Iran bt Lithuania 3-1; Ukraine bt Montenegro 3.5-0.5; Turkiye bt Latvia 3.5-0.5; Serbia bt Cuba 3-1; Poland bt Vietnam 2.5-1.5.

Women: Poland bt India 2.5-1.5 (Koneru Humpy drew with Oliwia Kiolbasa; R. Vaishali lost to Aleksandra Maltsevskaya; Divya Deshmukh drew with Klaudia Kulon, Vantika Agrawal drew with Socko Monika); USA drew with Uzbekistan 2-2; Kazakhstan bt Germany 2.5-1.5; China bt Bulgaria 3-1; Azerbaijan bt Serbia 3-1; Netherlands drew with Switzerland 2-2; Georgia bt Indonesia 2.5-1.5; Ukraine bt Austria 2.5-1.5; France bt Slovakia 3-1; Mongolia bt Croatia 2.5-1.5; Armenia bt Peru 3-1; Hungary bt Brazil 3-1.

After a bumpy start to the year, R. Praggnanandhaa has hit a purple patch. He made heads turn with a historic triumph in Norway Chess and stormed to victory in St. Louis Rapid & Blitz last week.

As Praggnanandhaa lets his moves do the talking on the board, the work he has been putting in with coach Vaibhav Suri seems to be paying off. “We did pay a little more attention to the opponents (in St. Louis) and tried to be in control. In the shorter formats, [holding the] nerves play a big role. I think that he was in far better control than in previous events,” Suri said.

It is all about learning constantly and improving, Suri emphasised as his ward continues the good run in the ongoing Sinquefield Cup in the USA — the 21-year-old put it across World championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov and Jordan van Foreest. “Preparation plays a huge part in classical chess, and we are relying on the learnings from previous events.”

With the Olympiad on the horizon and the in-form Praggnanandhaa expected to lead the Open team’s challenge, Suri felt that India had a strong squad, adding “there are huge expectations because we are the defending champions.” “The focus is going to be on trying to put the four best players on that given day and hope that they play their best. I am sure that Pragg, D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi will be preparing very seriously for the Olympiad.”

Fortunes in rapid chess change faster than the patterns of this monsoon. They change even faster in blitz chess.

So, the way R. Praggnanandhaa dominated the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in the United States last week is truly remarkable. He led from the start to the finish. And won the title by a margin of 1.5 points from the second-placed Javokhir Sindarov, a strong rival from the time they were kids.

The Chennai Grandmaster, who turned 21 on Monday, won the blitz event with a round to spare, in fact. And he was in the lead on all five days of the tournament. That is not very usual, especially if your name is not Magnus Carlsen.

Well, Carlsen, the world’s best player for a decade and a half, wasn’t there at Saint Louis. He was very much there though at the Norway Chess, held at his hometown, Oslo, a couple of months ago.

Three big titles

That tournament, too, was won by Praggnanandhaa, after beating Carlsen twice. So, within a space of two months, he has won three prestigious titles in strong tournaments in three different formats. Yes, a bit like scoring hundreds in Test, ODI and T20I cricket in quick succession.

He is indeed playing some of the best chess of his career. With the Chess Olympiad just a little over a month away, his brilliant form could not have come at a better time for the Indian team, which will be defending the historic title it won at Budapest two years ago.

With the World champion D. Gukesh still far from his best, India needs Praggnanandhaa to score heavily at Samarkand, where the reigning champion could face strong challenges from the host, Uzbekistan, which includes the likes of top players like Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

After winning the World Cup in Goa — a career breakthrough — Sindarov had said that Uzbekistan and India would be contesting frequently for major chess titles in the years ahead. In fact, we will see one such battle, Gukesh against Sindarov, at the World title match in Geneva later this year.

Sindarov had earned that right by winning the Candidates tournament in Cyprus four months ago in most emphatic style. Praggnandhaa, on the other hand, had one of his most forgettable tournaments, finishing seventh in a field of eight.

But, like a true champion, he has bounced back. In some style.

Camaraderie among the members of the Indian squad will help in the Olympiad title defence, Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa said while expressing confidence of a strong show.

The 20-year-old said the team was strong and had the experience to handle the pressure of being the defending champion. He said the core of the team from the winning campaign in 2024 was same time except for Nihal Sarin replacing P. Harikrishna.

“I think we are all very good friends. Being friends helps a lot when you are playing a team event like the Olympiad,” he told The Hindu on the sidelines of an event at D.G. Vaishnav College here.

Asked if there would be huge pressure on India as the title-holder, Praggnanandhaa said, “there will always be pressure when you are representing the country. You want to do well. It’s not about pressure from outside. It’s more of an expectation from yourself that you will do well. We have experienced all this and are ready.”

Backing Gukesh

About World champion D. Gukesh’s below-par performances since winning the sport’s biggest prize, Praggnanandhaa said, “he has won gold (board prize) and been part of a victorious Olympiad campaign. I don’t know who else has done these things.”

“He has shown that he belongs at the top. Sometimes everyone has these bad phases. I think this is just one of those,” he added.

He expected the home team Uzbekistan with Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Gukesh’s challenger Javokhir Sindarov in the line-up, to be among the teams to beat in the Olympiad.

Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa bounced back with a decent effort on the final day to finish tied third in the Croatian leg of the Grand chess tour here on Monday (July 6, 2026).

France’s Firouzja Alireza bagged the top honours with 23.5 points.

Praggnanandhaa shared the third sport with another Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, logging 21.5 points.

The Indian star began the final day with a loss against Vincent Keymer but then did well to score 6 points out of the last eight games. His other loss came against compatriot D. Gukesh but Praggnanandhaa’s main victim was Alireza.

After a splendid start in the blitz on the opening day when he scored 8 points out of a possible nine, Alireza had a rather forgettable final day and could only make 5 points, allowing Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov to catch up with him in the overall standings on 23.5 points.

It led to a tie-break finale wherein the first two games ended in draws and after that the Frenchman drew with Abdusattorov in the Armageddon to be crowned the champion as he only needed a draw as black.

German Keymer scored 20 points in all, 1.5 points clear of reigning world champion Gukesh, who finished sixth.

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri ended seventh on 17 points while Deac Bogdan Daniel was declared eighth on 15.

Holland’s Jorden Van Foreest came ninth in the 10- player field scoring 12.5, while local star Ivan Saric came 10th with just seven points in his kitty.

Alireza won $47000 for his efforts, Nodirbek got $42000 while Praggnanandhaa and Vachier-Lagrave shared $25000 each.

In the Grand Chess tour standings, Fabiano Caruana of the United States remains at the helm on 20 points while Keymer is in second spot on 19, a point ahead of Alireza.

For Praggnanandhaa, it’s a tough road ahead as he has 11.5 points for his current sixth spot.

The Indian needs to really come back much stronger if he has to make it to the finale of the GCT scheduled later this year.

The next two events on the tour will be held in St. Louis. There will be one rapid and blitz followed by one classical event.

Points table

1. Firouzja Alireza (Fra) 23.5; 2. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 23.5) 3. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 21.5) R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 21.5); 5. Vincent Keymer (Ger, 20); 6. D Gukesh (Ind) 18.5; 7. Anish Giri (Ned) 17; 8. Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou) 15; Jorden van Foreest (Ned) 12.5; 10. Ivan Saric (Cro) 7.

Anemone Kulczak seems like a constant at Norway Chess. The Frenchwoman, who made a smooth transition from playing to being an arbiter, is enjoying the role.

“I played many tournaments after having learnt the game from my father when I was very young and at some point I wanted to know the regulations,” Kulczak, who has been the chief arbiter at several editions of the Norway Chess, told The Hindu.

There’s been no looking back since she decided to take an arbiter’s course and obtained certifications and is at home officiating in top-flight events, including the Chess Olympiad.

The 31-year-old said the modern generation of players were disciplined and easier to handle. She was all praise for the Indians and said players like World champion D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, who are taking part in this year’s event, were an arbiter’s delight as they consistently followed the rules.

Kulczak was full of admiration of the manner in which Indian chess had evolved over the years and felt that the new generation is talented and there would be more world champions.

“India is the future of chess… India will continue to have world champions. Gukesh is an exceptionally talented player and there are many others too like Pragg. It is good for world chess,” she added.

Kulczak, who was at the helm during the tournament in Stavanger in 2025 when Magnus Carlsen famously banged the table after losing to Gukesh, said arbiters had to be more careful these days as there is intense scrutiny and ensure that rules matter more than reputations.

There’s nothing special that R. Praggnanandhaa is doing to prepare for games against Magnus Carlsen but ‘whatever is being done is working,’ said his coach Vaibhav Suri.

With the Indian GM having done the double against the World No.1 in Norway Chess 2026, Suri said, “I don’t think so (on any special preparation). If we are, I will make sure we do continue it. (We) are trying to stay as motivated as we can and trying to keep working as hard as we can.”

Like Praggnanandhaa, he too said Carlsen is “still extremely strong.

Maybe he’s just not as motivated as he was a few years ago, but is still a monstrous player.”

Further, Suri, a Grandmaster himself, told The Hindu, that everyone has immense respect for Carlsen.

Key takeaway

“I think the key takeaway at least for us is he’s great, but maybe he’s not invincible… he’s beatable.”

Praising Praggnanandhaa, he said, “to beat him twice in a classical game is not at all a small feat.”

Asked if the 20-year-old from Chennai had put the below-par performance in the recent Candidates tournament behind him, Suri said, “his level of play was not bad (in Cyprus).”

Quick to move on

“The result obviously wasn’t encouraging. I think as with most things, you accept and you move on, which I think he did fairly quickly,” added Suri.

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).

The action may be taking place on the board but there’s a lot going on inside a chess player’s mind. After four days of competition at Norway Chess that had its share of thrills and spills, the players enjoyed a rest day, during which they got to take time off the 64 squares and be their own self.

Ten of the 12 participants were split into two teams and took part in a friendly sailing contest on the Oslofjord on Friday, the first of the two rest days.

It was also an occasion to celebrate the birthday of D. Gukesh, who turned 20 on Friday. The usually reticent World champion appeared to soak in the cheerful mood as he was actively involved in the competition around the fjord (a long, narrow channel or wide bodies of open water and lakes in Norway) with enthusiasm. He also tried his hand at navigating the speed boat.

Incidentally, after watching Gukesh handle the speed boat with aplomb, fellow Indian Grandmasters R. Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh hopped on to it to see how they would do.

Gukesh, who hasn’t had the best of time at Norway Chess — having won only once in the four rounds — seemed to be in a fairly relaxed frame of mind, accepting birthday wishes from the other players. The 20-year-old, bracing for tougher challenges ahead, had admitted that his performances had dipped since winning the World title but said that he was ready to defend the crown against Javokhir Sindarov.

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).