In the sixth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand on Monday, Uzbekistan's top men's team defeated defending Olympiad champion India, holding onto sole possession of first place.
On board two, Javokhir Sindarov (2778) drew with Arjun Erigaisi (2759) playing black. His opponent held an advantage at one point, but the Uzbek grandmaster managed to equalize the position. It was Sindarov's second draw of the tournament; after six rounds, one of which he sat out, he has scored 4 points out of a possible 5, with three wins and two draws.
Sindarov's preparation and participation in international tournaments, including the Chess Olympiad, as well as his work with coaches, is supported by the National Bank of Uzbekistan.
The Uzbekistan-India match was one of the round's marquee pairings: both teams had won all five of their previous matches, entering the round with a maximum 10 match points. India is the reigning 2024 Olympiad champion, while Uzbekistan won the title in 2022 — and heading into round six, the two teams, along with Germany, were the only ones with a perfect record.
On board one, Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew with Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, while Shamsiddin Vokhidov drew with reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
The decisive game came down to Nodirbek Yakubboev against Nihal Sarin. For much of the game, the Indian player held the better position and a substantial time advantage — roughly 26 minutes on the clock compared to about 3 minutes for Yakubboev.
But Sarin then made a series of imprecise moves in quick succession, followed by a serious blunder that cost him his queen. Yakubboev converted the advantage, securing a 2.5-1.5 match win for Uzbekistan.
Over the last three Olympiads, Uzbekistan and India have faced each other four times. The previous three encounters all ended in draws, making Samarkand Uzbekistan's first outright victory over India in that span.
Uzbekistan's top men's team remains the sole leader of the open tournament. With six straight match wins, the team has a maximum 12 match points, while China and Armenia trail with 11 points each.
Uzbekistan-2 defeats Spain
Uzbekistan's second men's team beat Spain 2.5-1.5.
The decisive point came from Abdumalik Abdisalimov, who defeated Maxim Chigaev. Jahongir Vakhidov drew with David Anton, Muhammadjohid Suyarov drew with Jaime Santos, and Humoyun Begmuratov drew with Daniil Yuffa.
It was Uzbekistan-2's third consecutive win following a loss to Germany in round three. The team has climbed to 14th place with 10 match points — level with India, France, the Netherlands, England, Germany, and Azerbaijan, though ranked above them on tiebreak criteria.
Uzbekistan-3 falls to Australia
Uzbekistan's third men's team lost to Australia 1.5-2.5. Asrorbek Omonov secured the team's only win, defeating David Smerdon, while Saidakbar Saidaliev drew with Bobby Cheng.
Bakhrom Bakhrillaev lost to Temur Kuybokarov, and Almas Rakhmatullaev lost to Rishi Sardana.
China beats Germany; Netherlands awarded technical win over Israel
In one of the round's marquee matches, China defeated Germany 3-1. Ding Liren beat Vincent Keymer, and Xu Xiangyu beat Alexander Donchenko, while Wei Yi and Yu Yangyi drew.
The Netherlands were awarded a 4-0 technical win over Israel after the Israeli team did not show up for the match due to Yom Kippur. According to FIDE, the Israeli side had requested that the match be postponed to a later time or played on a rest day, but their opponents did not agree, and the match was not held.
Armenia defeated Iran 2.5-1.5. The decisive point came from Gabriel Sargsyan, who beat Reza Mahdavi; the remaining three games were drawn.
England and France played to a 2-2 draw, while Azerbaijan defeated Argentina 2.5-1.5.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
