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India maintained its perfect start to the Chess Olympiad 2026, securing convincing 3-1 victories in both sections in Samarkand on Saturday. The Open team defeated Spain, while the Womens team overcame Mongolia to register their fourth consecutive win.
India registered victories through Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh, while R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin secured draws to complete a convincing team victory, as per the FIDE website. Gukesh defeated Alexei Shirov in 42 moves, while Arjun Erigaisi secured a 36-move victory over Maksim Chigaev. Praggnanandhaa, playing on the top board, drew his game, while Nihal also held his opponent with the black pieces. Praggnanandhaa drew with David Anton in 38 moves, while Nihal Sarin held Jaime Santos to a draw after 30 moves, completing Indias 3-1 victory over Spain. The result kept India among the teams with a perfect four wins from four matches in the Open section. China, hosts Uzbekistan, Germany, Armenia, the USA, the Netherlands and Hungary were also unbeaten after four rounds. In the Womens section, India also maintained its perfect team record, defeating Mongolia 3-1. Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri won their games, while the matches on the first two boards ended in draws. Savitha remained unbeaten with a perfect 4/4. Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali rounded off the results with draws on the top two boards. Humpy split the point with Bat-Erdene Mungunzul after 82 moves, while Vaishali drew with Turmunkh Munkhzul following a 75-move battle. (ANI)
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