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India wins women’s bronze at 2026 Chess Olympiad

By Drooid · Sep 27, 2026, 4:19 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

India Secures Chess Bronze

India’s women’s team won bronze at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with 17 points.
Savitha Shri scored 8.5 points, winning seven games and beating Zhai Mo in round 10.
Arjun Erigaisi earned open-section silver for India by sacrificing a rook to defeat Peter Leko.
India’s open team placed second with 18 points, edging Germany on a 405.5-386.5 tiebreak.
India captured the Gaprindashvili Cup for best combined finish, ranking fifth overall.

Summary

Savitha Dominates Olympiad

Savitha won every game at the 2022 Olympiad, making her indispensable to India’s women’s team.
Her father Baskar quit his Singapore technician job to fund her travel and coaching, draining savings.
She added over 300 rating points in two months before the pandemic, a rare surge.
In the Olympiad she earned 209 points in five events, briefly ranking India’s fourth-best woman.

History

Historical Context

At the 1990 Chess Olympiad in Novi Sad (Nov 16–Dec 4, Yugoslavia), the Soviet Union secured its sixth straight open gold with 39/56 points, fielding Ivanchuk and Gelfand after Kasparov and Karpov withdrew and denying Baltic teams entry. Decades later, India captured bronze in the 2026 Olympiad and earned its third overall-performance Gaprindashvili Cup, marking a rise from earlier Soviet dominance.

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India Secures Chess Bronze

India’s women’s team won bronze at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with 17 points.
Savitha Shri scored 8.5 points, winning seven games and beating Zhai Mo in round 10.
Arjun Erigaisi earned open-section silver for India by sacrificing a rook to defeat Peter Leko.
India’s open team placed second with 18 points, edging Germany on a 405.5-386.5 tiebreak.
India captured the Gaprindashvili Cup for best combined finish, ranking fifth overall.

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