Uzbekistan Beats India at Chess Olympiad: Gukesh Fails to Save Team
Uzbekistan Defeats India in the Main Match of the Chess Olympiad. Even Gukesh Couldn’t Save Them!
The Chess Olympiad in Samarkand delivered exactly the match chess fans had been waiting for: the hosts faced the reigning Olympic champions from India. More than just two team points were at stake — both teams entered the sixth round unbeaten, and the result could have a direct impact on the fight for first place.
And in this showdown, Uzbekistan came out on top. The hosts defeated India 2.5–1.5, with the decisive result coming on the third board, where Nodirbek Yakubboev defeated Nihal Sarin.
A Match Between Two Olympic Champions
The Uzbekistan–India clash had a special status. Uzbekistan won the Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022, while India claimed gold in Budapest in 2024. Now, the two Olympic champions met in Samarkand, on home soil for the Uzbek team.
The line-ups were equally impressive.
India fielded Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. Uzbekistan relied on Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov.
It was a match in which virtually every game could prove decisive.
Abdusattorov–Praggnanandhaa: The First Draw
The first board featured two representatives of the new generation of elite chess — Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa.
Praggnanandhaa had the Black pieces. Despite a tense battle, the game ended in a draw.
Abdusattorov–Praggnanandhaa — ½–½.
With the first game completed, the overall match score remained level.
Sindarov and Arjun Also Fail to Produce a Winner
The second board brought another high-profile duel: Javokhir Sindarov against Arjun Erigaisi.
Arjun had the White pieces, but he was unable to turn that advantage into a win. The game gradually developed into a difficult endgame, where neither side managed to create a decisive advantage.
Sindarov–Arjun Erigaisi — ½–½.
After two draws, the fate of the entire match was effectively left in the hands of the remaining two boards.
Nihal Sarin Was Close to Victory — Then Everything Changed
The biggest drama of the match came in the game between Nodirbek Yakubboev and Nihal Sarin.
Initially, things were looking good for India. Nihal reached a very promising position and, according to the course of the game, appeared close to victory. He also had a time advantage.
Then came a dramatic turnaround.
Nihal made a mistake that gave Yakubboev a tactical opportunity. On move 37, 37...Nf5?? allowed the Uzbek grandmaster to launch a combination attacking the queen.
Within just a few moves, the advantage had completely changed hands.
Yakubboev seized his opportunity and converted the position into a win. That game ultimately proved decisive for the entire team match.
And What About Gukesh?
The fourth board featured reigning World Champion Gukesh, who faced Shamsiddin Vokhidov.
For India, this was potentially a crucial game: had Gukesh won while Nihal lost, the match would have ended in a draw. However, Gukesh was unable to secure the winning point for his team.
The game ended in a draw.
As a result, even Gukesh's result could not save India from defeat.
Vokhidov–Gukesh — ½–½.
Final Score: Uzbekistan 2.5–1.5 India
Match results:
* Nodirbek Abdusattorov — Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa — ½–½
* Javokhir Sindarov — Arjun Erigaisi — ½–½
* Nodirbek Yakubboev — Nihal Sarin — 1–0
* Shamsiddin Vokhidov — Gukesh — ½–½
Final score: Uzbekistan 2.5–1.5 India.
For India, this was their first defeat of the Olympiad. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, moved into sole possession of first place with a perfect record — 6 wins from 6 matches and 12 team points.
Uzbekistan Continues Its Perfect Run
What was particularly impressive was that the hosts did not slow down after defeating India.
In Round 7, Uzbekistan defeated Slovenia 3.5–0.5, before beating China 3–1 in Round 8. After seven rounds, Uzbekistan remained the only team with a 100% match record, and after the victory over China, the hosts maintained their perfect 7 out of 7 record.
The Uzbek team was also showing remarkable consistency on the individual boards. After seven rounds, the hosts had not lost a single individual game.
A Defeat That Could Prove Costly for India
India arrived in Samarkand as the reigning Olympic champions. The team was also regarded as one of the leading contenders to repeat its 2024 success.
However, the match against Uzbekistan demonstrated just how narrow the margin between victory and defeat can be in team competitions.
Three of the four games ended in draws. Everything was decided by a single moment — Nihal Sarin's mistake in a game that, only minutes earlier, had been developing extremely promisingly for the Indian player.
That is the unique nature of the Chess Olympiad: a team can have four world-class players, yet the fate of the entire match can be decided by one tactical moment.
The Main Takeaway
The Uzbekistan–India match became one of the central events of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The hosts did not simply defeat the reigning champions — they did so in an extremely close contest in which three of the four games ended in draws.
Gukesh drew. Praggnanandhaa drew. Arjun drew. And Nodirbek Yakubboev made the difference.
Uzbekistan then continued its winning streak, confirming that the home Olympiad was turning into a tournament of exceptionally high expectations for the hosts. India, meanwhile, had to continue the fight after suffering its first defeat — with little room for further major mistakes.