Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Sep 2026 : Reigning world champion D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa registered crucial victories as defending champions India edged past England 2.5-1.5 in the seventh round of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad here on Wednesday.
India's victory came despite Nihal Sarin going down to England's Luke McShane, while Arjun Erigaisi was held to a draw by veteran Michael Adams on the second board.
Playing with the white pieces on the top board, Praggnanandhaa defeated Nikita Vitiugov, while Gukesh, playing black, overcame Daniel Howard Fernandez to secure the two individual wins that powered India's overall victory.
The result helped India recover from their previous defeat against hosts Uzbekistan. As the top seeds and defending champions, India remained firmly in contention in the tournament with two rounds still to be played.
In another major encounter, Uzbekistan strengthened their position at the top of the standings with a convincing 3-1 victory over China. Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated former world champion Ding Liren, while Nodirbek Yakubboev overcame Yu Yangyi with the black pieces.
Javokhir Sindarov, who is set to challenge for the World Championship title, was held to a draw by China's Wei Yi. Mukhiddin Madaminov and Xu Xiangyu also shared the point.
Former champions the United States were held to a 2-2 draw by Armenia. Robert Hovhannisyan defeated Wesley So, while Liang Awonder secured the draw for the US by splitting the point with Gabriel Sargissian.
Elsewhere, Germany defeated Turkiye 3-1, while the Netherlands registered a 3.5-0.5 win over Bulgaria. Azerbaijan also recorded a 3.5-0.5 victory against Greece. Uzbekistan 2 and France played out a 2-2 draw, with all four games ending level.
In the women's section, India produced an equally impressive result, defeating Germany 3.5-0.5 in Round 7 to remain in medal contention.
B Savitha Shri continued her remarkable run, registering her seventh consecutive victory in seven rounds. She is the only player in the Olympiad to have won all seven of her games so far.
Koneru Humpy defeated Dinara Wagner, while Divya Deshmukh got the better of Hanna Marie Klek. Savitha Shri, playing with the black pieces, defeated Lara Schulze to maintain her perfect record.
With two rounds remaining, India's women's team stayed in the hunt for a medal.
In other women's matches, Uzbekistan defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5, while China were held to a 2-2 draw by Kazakhstan. Georgia defeated Poland 2.5-1.5, and Bulgaria beat Ukraine 3-1 in the seventh round.
