India defended the prestigious Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, finishing as the best overall nation after picking up a silver in the Open section and a bronze in the Women’s event.
The Indian men played out a draw with Hungary and settled for the silver medal on a tie-break, while the women drew with Georgia to bring home the bronze in the Chess Olympiad that concluded today.
This marks the third straight edition where India have won the trophy, having claimed it on home turf in 2022, during their historic double-gold campaign in Budapest in 2024, including the latest in Samarkand.
The Uzbekistan team regained the gold medal in the open section after winning the final round game against Ukraine by a 2,5-1.5 points. The Uzbeks ended with 20 points out of a possible 22, winning as many as 10 rounds and losing a lone match against Germany.
The Indian men ended up with 18 points and were tied for the second spot with Germany that defeated Holland. However, thanks to a better tie-break score, the Indian team ended with silver, while Germany had to be content with the bronze.
In the women’s section, China annexed the gold with another fine performance against Vietnam, winning by a 3-1 margin. The Chinese team also ended with 20 points in all, a couple of points more than second-placed Kazakhstan.
