‘O’zbekiston’, they chanted, as I weaved my way through the scrum of fans and cameramen. The host nation, Uzbekistan, had just won gold at the 46th chess Olympiad, held in Samarkand. It was clear from the start that their team, led by Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov (both in the world’s top ten) was capable of winning. They had already won at the Chennai Olympiad in 2022, when their players were far less experienced. But to play at home, and overcome fierce competition from top seeds USA, and second seeds India (the winners in Budapest 2024), was a huge challenge. The pivotal moment, at least in hindsight, occurred in the sixth-round match between Uzbekistan and India. Nihal had played a strong game, but in the diagram position his last move, 37…Nd6-f5? was a blunder that met with a spectacular refutation. It was better to abandon the h4-pawn and retreat the king to g7.

Nodirbek Yakubboev-Nihal Sarin

Fide Olympiad, Samarkand, 2026

38 Ne6+!! Rxe6 39 gxh4+ The knight’s sacrifice has ensured that the Qc7 is undefended, so this wins. Nxh4 40 Qxc7 Nf3+ 41 Kg2 Nxe1+ 42 Rxe1 e2 43 Rxe2 Rxe2+ 44 Bxe2 Rxe2+ 45 Kg3 Bd3 Hoping for 46 Qxb7? Bb5, with hopes of a fortress defence. Yakubboev plays accurately to break that coordination. 46 Qg7+ Kh5 47 Kf4 Re4+ 48 Kf3 Rh4 49 Kg3 Re4 50 b5! Now 50…Bxb5 51 Qh7+ wins, so White will soon get a passed pawn. axb5 51 Qh7+ Kg5 52 Qxb7 b4 53 a6 Bxa6 54 Qg7+ Qg7-h7+ will win the rook after either king move, so Black resigns

Uzbekistan won that match 2.5-1.5 and never relinquished their lead, while India’s team of young stars ended up with the silver medals.

It was unusual to see the world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, playing on board 4 for India, since at the previous Olympiad he had earned an individual medal on top board. His recent form has been poor, and he may have wished to avoid a pairing against Sindarov, his challenger for the forthcoming world championship. Still, his excellent score of 8.5/11 earned him an individual silver medal, and perhaps a boost to his confidence.

The bronze medals went to Germany, who were the only team to beat Uzbekistan. They had chances to beat India too, as Donchenko stood well earlier, but Gukesh had turned the game around and finished with a flourish.

Alexander Donchenko-Gukesh Dommaraju

Fide Olympiad, Samarkand, 2026

51…Nf4!! Unexpected and strong, since 52 Qxc1 Nxe2+ wins a piece. 52 Rxf4 52 Bd1 Ne7 prepares Ne7-g6 with mounting threats. Qxc3 Black’s attack is decisive. 53 Bd1 Qe3+ 54 Kh1 Qd2 White resigns