The 2026 Chess Olympiad has come to an end in Samarkand, with Uzbekistan winning the Open section on home soil and China claiming gold in the Women's section. India finished with silver in the Open and bronze in the Women's competition.
The 46th Chess Olympiad ended on September 27 after 11 rounds of competition, bringing together 400 teams across the Open and Women's sections. The final day delivered plenty of drama, with Uzbekistan securing the Open title, China confirming Women's gold, and India fighting its way onto both podiums.
For Uzbekistan, the victory was particularly special. Playing in front of a home crowd in Samarkand, the hosts defeated Ukraine 2.5-1.5 in the final round to win their second Chess Olympiad title, following their gold medal at the 2022 Chennai Olympiad.
Uzbekistan Clinches Open Gold on Home Soil
The race for the Open title went down to the final round, but Uzbekistan entered the last day in control of the standings.
The hosts needed a strong finish against Ukraine and delivered exactly that. The match ended 2.5-1.5 in Uzbekistan's favour, with Mukhiddin Madaminov producing the decisive win against Roman Dehtiarov.
The other three games were drawn, but Madaminov's victory was enough to send Uzbekistan to the top of the final standings with 20 match points.
Madaminov ended his tournament unbeaten with 5.5/7, making his performance one of the important individual stories of Uzbekistan's championship run.
The victory also capped a remarkable tournament for the hosts. Uzbekistan had won its first seven matches before Germany stopped its perfect run in Round 8. The team bounced back immediately, defeating the United States and Armenia before completing its title run against Ukraine.
Open Section Final Standings
Rank | Team | Match Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Uzbekistan | 20 | Gold |
2 | India | 18 | Silver |
3 | Germany | 18 | Bronze |
4 | United States | 17 | - |
5 | Azerbaijan | 17 | - |
Uzbekistan finished with 10 wins and one loss. India and Germany both ended on 18 match points, with India taking silver on the tiebreak.
India Takes Open Silver After Dramatic Final Round
India entered the final round still in contention for the gold medal, but the defending champions ultimately had to settle for silver.
India drew 2-2 with Hungary. Arjun Erigaisi gave India an early boost by defeating Peter Leko, while Praggnanandhaa drew with Richard Rapport. World Champion Gukesh D, however, lost to Gleb Dudin.
With the match ending level, India finished on 18 match points. Germany also reached 18 after defeating the Netherlands 2.5-1.5, but India's superior tiebreak score placed the Indian team second.
It meant another medal for India after the team won Open gold at the 2024 Budapest Olympiad.
China Wins Women's Chess Olympiad Gold
China emerged as the Chess Olympiad 2026 winner in the Women's section, completing an impressive campaign with a 3-1 victory over Vietnam in the final round.
China finished at the top with 20 match points, two points ahead of Kazakhstan.
The title was also significant because China's team featured a new generation of players rather than several of the country's biggest established stars. The younger lineup delivered when it mattered most and secured China's seventh Women's Chess Olympiad title.
Women's Section Final Standings
Rank | Team | Match Points | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | China | 20 | Gold |
2 | Kazakhstan | 18 | Silver |
3 | India | 17 | Bronze |
4 | United States | 17 | - |
5 | Poland | 17 | - |
India finished third after drawing 2-2 with Georgia in the final round. Several teams were closely grouped in the standings, but India's tiebreak score secured the bronze medal.
India's Women's Team Adds Another Medal
India's Women's team faced Georgia in a tense final-round encounter.
The match ended 2-2, but one of the biggest moments came on the fifth board, where Savitha Shri fought back to hold Meri Arabidze. Her result helped India secure the bronze medal.
India's combined performance across the two sections was also enough to earn the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, awarded for the best overall combined performance in the Open and Women's Olympiads.
Chess Olympiad 2026 Individual Medals: The Standout Performers
While the Olympiad is ultimately a team competition, individual board medals recognise some of the strongest performances throughout the tournament.
The 2026 edition produced several impressive individual performances, including standout displays from Uzbekistan, China, Germany, the United States and India.
Open Section
Nodirbek Abdusattorov produced one of the tournament's strongest performances on the top board, while Germany's Frederik Svane also finished among the leading individual performers.
Uzbekistan's Mukhiddin Madaminov was another important figure, finishing unbeaten and producing the decisive win in the final round.
World Champion Gukesh D also remained one of the major attractions of the tournament, although his final-round loss to Gleb Dudin meant India had to settle for silver.
Women's Section
China's young players made a major impact on the individual standings.
Lu Miaoyi was one of the biggest individual stories of the Women's Olympiad. The 16-year-old finished unbeaten and scored an outstanding 9.5/11, earning the individual gold medal on her board.
China's Zhu Jiner also produced a strong tournament, while Alice Lee of the United States and India's Savitha Shri were among the other players to earn individual board medals.
The Road to the Final
The Open race changed several times during the tournament.
Uzbekistan initially established itself as the team to beat, eventually winning seven matches in a row. Germany then ended that streak in Round 8 with a 2.5-1.5 victory.
In Round 9, Uzbekistan defeated top seed United States 2.5-1.5, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeating Fabiano Caruana and Nodirbek Yakubboev beating Hans Niemann.
A 3.5-0.5 win over Armenia in Round 10 then gave Uzbekistan an important one-point lead heading into the final round. India was second on 17 points, while Germany, Ukraine and Hungary remained in the medal race.
Uzbekistan needed to finish the job against Ukraine, while India and Germany were fighting for the remaining medals.
Chess Olympiad Winners 2026: Final Medal Table
The final team medal picture from Samarkand was:
Open
- Uzbekistan - Gold
- India - Silver
- Germany - Bronze
Women's
- China - Gold
- Kazakhstan - Silver
- India - Bronze
The result adds another chapter to the long history of Chess Olympiad winners, while Uzbekistan's victory gives the hosts their second Open title.
What the 2026 Olympiad Leaves Behind
The Samarkand Olympiad produced two different champions and several memorable individual performances.
Uzbekistan's home victory was the headline story of the Open section. China showed the strength of its younger generation by taking Women's gold. India, meanwhile, remained one of the tournament's strongest federations, returning home with an Open silver, Women's bronze and the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy.
The tournament also highlighted a new generation of players capable of making an impact on the biggest team stage in chess.
From Abdusattorov's performance on the top board to Lu Miaoyi's remarkable 9.5/11 score, the Chess Olympiad 2026 individual medals reflected the depth of talent on display in Samarkand.
After 11 rounds, the final picture is clear: Uzbekistan are the Open champions, China are the Women's champions, and Samarkand has produced another memorable chapter in the history of the Chess Olympiad.
Also Read: Lessons from India's loss to Uzbekistan
Frequently Asked Questions
Uzbekistan won the Open section of the Chess Olympiad 2026 with 20 match points, while China won the Women’s section with 20 match points.
The 2026 Chess Olympiad was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 16 to 27, 2026.
India won silver in the Open section and bronze in the Women’s section. The Open team finished on 18 match points, while the Women’s team finished on 17.
The Chess Olympiad 2026 individual medals included gold-winning performances from Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wei Yi, Frederik Svane, Ihor Samunenkov and Gleb Dudin in the Open section, along with Zhu Jiner, Alice Lee, Lu Miaoyi, Elnaz Kaliakhmet and Savitha Shri B in the Women’s section.
The 2026 Chess Olympiad featured 11 rounds in both the Open and Women’s sections.
In the Open section, Uzbekistan, India and Germany finished in the top three. In the Women’s section, China, Kazakhstan and India took the top three positions.
