Uzbekistan beat India 2.5-1.5 in the open section of Round 6 at the Samarkand Olympiad, while India's women took down the United States 3-1. The host nation's win came on board three, where Nodirbek Yakubboev beat Nihal Sarin in a game Nihal had controlled until one catastrophic move.
Nihal was better on the board and had the initiative. Then, in a position he had been pressing, he let his queen go. Yakubboev pounced, and the match swung Uzbekistan's way. In the women's match, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B both won to give India the bounce-back result they needed after a tough round five.
Open Section: Uzbekistan vs India (2.5-1.5), Board 1: Abdusattorov vs Praggnanandhaa
Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa R have played each other enough times to know the terrain. This one, an Italian Game, was a quiet negotiation from the start. Praggnanandhaa chose the rare 5...a5, sidestepping main theory and signalling early that he wanted a fight, not a memorised draw.
The game settled into a slow manoeuvring battle. Abdusattorov's 17.Nc4 was a practical choice, but it let Praggnanandhaa trade off his less active bishop for White's strong one with 17...Bxc4, easing Black's position. From there, Praggnanandhaa kept finding active ideas. His 25...b5 was a well-timed pawn sacrifice, opening lines and forcing Abdusattorov to find precise defensive moves.
Abdusattorov found them. After the central tension resolved, the queens came off with 30...Qa4 and 31.Qxa4, and the position simplified into a rook and bishop endgame where neither side could make progress. The players repeated moves, shook hands, and moved on. A fair result between two players who know each other's games well.
Open Section: Uzbekistan vs India (2.5-1.5), Board 2: Erigaisi Arjun vs Sindarov
This was the board everyone circled before the round: Erigaisi Arjun against Javokhir Sindarov, the Uzbek who will challenge Gukesh for the World Championship later this year. The World Championship contenders were kept apart by the pairings, but Sindarov still had a tough assignment against India's in-form board two.
His 6...a5 clamped down on the queenside, and when Erigaisi developed naturally with 9.Re1, Sindarov found 11...b4, a strong pawn thrust that gained space and forced the knight to a4. It was proactive, confident chess.
Erigaisi got some play on the queenside after 16...bxa3, but Sindarov kept finding resources. When Erigaisi traded bishops with 32.Bxc7, the position simplified into a queen-and-rook endgame that was always heading for a draw. Sindarov's 33...Qc6 was an excellent move that eased his defense, and the game was clearly heading towards a draw. A solid half-point for both teams.
Open Section: Uzbekistan vs India (2.5-1.5), Board 3: Yakubboev vs Nihal Sarin
This was the game that decided the match. Nodirbek Yakubboev against Nihal Sarin, board three, with the whole match balanced on a knife edge. Nihal, playing black, had been the more active player for much of the game. He had the initiative, he had the better position, and he had every reason to believe he could deliver the point India needed.
The game had been a slow burn. Yakubboev played the Queen's Gambit Declined, and Nihal responded with the Janowski Variation, a solid system that avoids the sharpest theoretical lines. The position was balanced but rich, with both sides manoeuvring for small advantages. Nihal captured on g5 with 36...Kxg5, and when Yakubboev played 37.g3, he had a decision to make.
Nihal played 37...Nf5, a mistake. The engine preferred 37...Kf6, which would have kept the position balanced. Instead, Yakubboev found 38.Ne6+, a strong zwischenzug that forced the rook to e6, and after 40.Qxc7 the queen was gone. The initiative had flipped.
Yakubboev pressed his advantage. By move 45 the dust had settled into an unusual balance - White's queen against Nihal's rook and bishop - with Yakubboev holding the edge. Nihal fought on, but the game was slipping.
Then came the moment that decided everything. On move 53, Nihal played 53...Bxa6, a blunder of enormous proportions. The engine preferred 53...Rg4+, which would have kept the game alive. Yakubboev played 54.Qg7+, and Nihal resigned. The game was lost, and with it the match.
Open Section: Uzbekistan vs India (2.5-1.5), Board 4: Gukesh D vs Vokhidov
Gukesh D, the world champion, was positioned on board four against Shamsiddin Vokhidov, a lower-rated opponent with nothing to lose. The board placement meant Gukesh could not face Sindarov, his upcoming World Championship challenger, but the game still mattered for the match score.
Vokhidov played the Nimzo-Indian and chose the sharp 5...Ne4, immediately challenging White's centre. Gukesh responded with 6.Qd3, and the game quickly simplified into a series of forced trades. By move 12, the queens were off after 12...Qxe3, and the position was dead level.
Gukesh tried to create something with 21.g4, grabbing space on the kingside, but it weakened his pawn structure and allowed Vokhidov to equalise fully. The game drifted into a rook endgame where neither side could break through. After 40.Kxg2, the players agreed to a draw. A quiet half-point for India, but not enough to save the match.
Women's Section: India vs United States (3-1), Board 1: Koneru Humpy vs Carissa Yip
Koneru Humpy, the veteran of Indian chess, took on Carissa Yip of the United States on board one. Humpy, playing white, chose the English Opening, and the game quickly settled into a symmetrical structure that promised a long, strategic battle.
Humpy played 24.f4, a bold attempt to seize space on the kingside, but it slightly weakened her position and allowed Yip to equalise. The engine preferred 24.Ba1, keeping the tension. Yip responded well, and the game entered a phase of careful manoeuvring.
The pieces came off gradually. By move 38, the game had simplified into a bishop-versus-knight endgame where Humpy pressed but Yip defended accurately. After 54.Kxg6, the players agreed to a draw. A hard-fought half-point for both sides.
Women's Section: India vs United States (3-1), Board 2: Alice Lee vs Divya Deshmukh
Divya Deshmukh, India's rising star, faced Alice Lee of the United States on board two. Divya, playing black, chose the Indian Defence, a solid opening that avoids the sharpest lines and promises a long game.
The game was balanced from the start. Lee played 15.cxd6, clarifying the centre, and Divya responded with 15...Rxb2, grabbing a pawn and creating counterplay. But Lee found 17.Nc5, a good move that allowed her to regain the initiative. The engine preferred 17.dxc7, which would have kept a clear edge, but Lee's choice was solid enough.
The pieces came off, and the game simplified into a queen-and-rook endgame. Divya defended accurately, and after 33.Qc5, the players agreed to a draw. A fair result between two talented young players.
Women's Section: India vs United States (3-1), Board 3: Vantika Agrawal vs Irina Krush
Vantika Agrawal, playing white against the experienced Irina Krush, delivered the decisive blow for India's women. This was a game of swings, of mistakes, and of one player keeping her nerve when it mattered most.
The game began as an English Opening, and early on Krush made a few inaccuracies. Her 33...Qb5 was an inaccuracy, the engine preferring 33...Qxd4, and Vantika seized the initiative with 34.Qd6. But Vantika let her opponent back in with 37.Rf3, an inaccuracy that allowed Krush to consolidate.
The endgame was where the game turned. Krush played 48...Rd5, a mistake. The engine preferred 48...Rc3+, keeping the rook active and the position balanced. Vantika responded with 49.Kh4, also a mistake, and the engine preferred 49.Rb1. The game was a see-saw of errors, both players feeling the pressure of a crucial match point.
Then came the critical moment. Krush played 49...Kh6, a mistake. The engine preferred 49...Rd1, which would have kept the game balanced. Vantika pounced, and from there she never let go. Krush tried to defend, but Vantika's pieces were too active. After 65.Kf6, Krush resigned. Vantika had won the game that gave India the lead in the match.
Women's Section: India vs United States (3-1), Board 4: Rose Atwell vs Savitha Shri B
Savitha Shri B, brought into the team for this round, faced Rose Atwell of the United States on board four. Savitha, playing black, needed to deliver to secure the match for India, and she did so with a composed, clinical performance.
The game was a Queen's Gambit Declined, and Atwell made the first significant error with 21.Nd2, a mistake. The engine preferred 21.Bc3, which would have kept the position balanced. Savitha responded with 21...Bxd5, also a mistake, the engine preferring 21...Bc8. But Savitha's position was already improving, and Atwell's 22.exd5 was another mistake that allowed Savitha to seize the initiative.
The endgame was where Savitha's technique showed. Atwell played 46.Rcc1, a blunder. The engine preferred 46.Rxe6+, which would have given her a fighting chance. Instead, Savitha played 46...Bxe1, winning a rook, and Atwell resigned after 47...Re3. Savitha had delivered the point that sealed India's 3-1 victory.
Round 6 in Samarkand delivered two very different stories for India. In the open section, Nihal Sarin's blunder on board three handed Uzbekistan the match, and with it the sole lead of the tournament. Nihal had been the better player for much of the game, but chess at this level punishes a single lapse, and Yakubboev was ruthless in converting. For Uzbekistan, it was a statement win on home soil.
For India's women, the response was exactly what was needed. After a tough loss to Poland in round five, the team bounced back with a composed, professional performance against the United States. Vantika Agrawal's win over Irina Krush was the turning point, and Savitha Shri's victory on board four sealed the match. Humpy and Divya Deshmukh both drew their games, providing the stability the team needed. The result keeps India in the medal hunt and sets up an intriguing second half of the tournament.
Final result: Uzbekistan 2.5-1.5 India
Abdusattorov, Nodirbek 1/2-1/2 Praggnanandhaa R (Board 1)
Erigaisi Arjun 1/2-1/2 Sindarov, Javokhir (Board 2)
Yakubboev, Nodirbek 1-0 Nihal Sarin (Board 3)
Gukesh D 1/2-1/2 Vokhidov, Shamsiddin (Board 4)
Final result: India 3-1 United States of America
Koneru, Humpy 1/2-1/2 Yip, Carissa (Board 1)
Lee, Alice 1/2-1/2 Divya Deshmukh (Board 2)
Vantika Agrawal 1-0 Krush, Irina (Board 3)
Atwell, Rose 0-1 Savitha Shri B (Board 4)
