India win double medal at Chess Olympiad as men take silver, women clinch bronze

India finished the 2026 FIDE Chess Olympiad with medals in both sections, winning silver in the Open category and bronze in the women's section. The double podium finish also helped India retain the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy as the best overall federation.India win double medal at Chess Olympiad as men take silver, women clinch bronze. Courtesy: PTINew Delhi,Sep 27, 2026 18:58 ISTIndia signed off from the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with medals in both sections as the men’s team won silver and the women secured bronze on Sunday. The results ensured India remained the only nation to finish on the podium in both the Open and Women’s sections at the 2026 Olympiad.The Indian men, who entered the tournament as defending champions after their historic double gold in Budapest in 2024, finished behind hosts Uzbekistan in the Open section. India had entered the final round in second place after a dominant 3.5-0.5 win over Uzbekistan-2 in Round 10, with D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin registering wins.In the final round, India faced Hungary, while Uzbekistan took on Ukraine in the gold-medal battle. India secured silver after drawing their final match, while Uzbekistan went on to claim gold on home soil. Arjun Erigaisi was India's key contributor in the decisive final phase, winning his game in the last round to ensure India stayed ahead of the chasing teams.The silver capped another strong Olympiad campaign for an Indian side featuring world champion D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun and Nihal. Gukesh was particularly impressive in the second half of the tournament, winning his seventh game in Round 10 to move to 8.5 points from 10 games. HOW INDIA WOMEN FOUGHT THEIR WAY TO A BRONZEIndia's women had a more challenging title defence but fought their way back into the medal positions. The team started the tournament strongly before suffering a setback against Poland in Round 5, their first defeat of the competition. Poland had also beaten India in the previous two Olympiads.The Indian women recovered and remained in medal contention heading into the final rounds. Their Round 10 clash against leaders China ended in a 2-2 draw, with B Savitha Shri producing another crucial win. Savitha defeated Zhai Mo to register her eighth victory of the tournament and moved to 8.5 points from nine games. Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh drew their games, while Vantika Agrawal lost to Lu Miaoyi. Savitha continued her remarkable run in the final round, drawing with Meri Arabidze to finish with nine points from 10 games. Her result helped India secure the women's bronze medal as China took gold.The double medal also helped India retain the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded to the best overall federation across the Open and Women's sections. India had previously won the trophy in 2022 and 2024.- Ends