Uzbekistan has won its second Olympiad gold, this time on home soil in the 46th Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand. GM Mukhiddin Madaminov was the last-day hero, winning a sharp clash with GM Roman Dehtiarov in a 2.5-1.5 win over Ukraine. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju lost to Hungary’s GM Gleb Dudin, but a win for GM Arjun Erigaisi over GM Peter Leko gave India a match draw and silver medals. Germany clinched a highly-deserved podium spot with a 2.5-1.5 win over the Netherlands after GM Matthias Bluebaum defeated GM Jorden van Foreest.
China cruised to a seventh 2026 FIDE Women’s Chess Olympiad gold as GM Zhu Jiner and IM Lu Miaoyi also won their final games to wrap up individual gold medals in a 3-1 win over Vietnam. The battle to complete the podium was intense, with Kazakhstan taking silver after a 2-2 draw with Poland, while India snatched bronze when IM Savitha Shri rescued a 2-2 draw by escaping a lost position against Georgia’s IM Meri Arabidze. The U.S., Poland, Armenia, and Mongolia all finished level on points with India, but missed out on tiebreaks.
This is a flash report—come back later for full coverage of the final round!
Open: Uzbekistan Wins 2nd Olympiad
Uzbekistan completed a near perfect Olympiad with a convincing win over Ukraine. India-Hungary was the only 2-2 draw at the top, but even a win for India wouldn’t have been enough for gold.
Final Round Results | Open Top 10
Uzbekistan finished two points ahead of India and Germany, with India coming out on top on tiebreaks.
Final Standings: Open Top 20
Our Game of the Day is Madaminov’s crucial win, which will be analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.
Women: China Wins 7th Olympiad
China’s win was very smooth, but the other key matches that decided the podium were 2-2 thrillers.
Round 11 Results | Women’s Top 10
China, like Uzbekistan, finished two points clear, while Kazakhstan took clear silver. India seems to have edged the battle for bronze!
Final Standings: Women’s Top 20
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad was a massive team event for national federations that takes place every two years. In 2026 it was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with 11 rounds that ran September 16-27. In Open and Women’s sections, teams of five players competed in a Swiss system, with each match played over four boards. There were two match points for a win and one for a draw, with board points taken into account only if teams were tied. Players had 90 minutes per game, plus 30 minutes from move 40, with a 30-second increment per move.
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