GM Frederik Svane‘s win over GM Hans Niemann saw Germany defeat the top-seeded U.S. 2.5-1.5 in round five of the 46th Chess Olympiad 2026. Germany is joined in the lead on 10/10 match points by Uzbekistan, who crushed Hungary 4-0, and India, who defeated the Netherlands 3-1 after GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won a rollercoaster game against GM Anish Giri, while World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju pounced on a blunder by GM Erwin l’Ami. China was held to four draws by Armenia.
The top seed also lost in round five of the 2026 FIDE Women’s Chess Olympiad, as defending champion India fell to Poland for a third Olympiad in a row. IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya grabbed the only win of the match, against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. Poland was joined on a perfect score by China, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, while the U.S. team scraped a 2-2 draw after IM Alice Lee rescued the team with a win after WGM Afruza Khamdamova defeated IM Carissa Yip on top board.
Round six, the last before the rest day, is on Monday, September 21, starting at 6:15 a.m. ET / 12:15 CEST / 3:45 p.m. IST.
Open: Germany Beat U.S. As Uzbekistan, India March On
We got the first big upset win of the event with Germany defeating the top-seeded U.S. team.
Round 5 Results | Open Top 10
Only Uzbekistan, India, and Germany are still on a perfect 10 points, with five teams a point behind.
Open Standings After Round 5: Top 29
| # | Seed | FED | Team | + | = | – | Points | TB1 | TB2 |
| 1 | 3 | Uzbekistan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 94 | 17 | |
| 2 | 2 | India | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 86 | 14.5 | |
| 3 | 5 | Germany | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 84.5 | 15 | |
| 4 | 4 | China | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 88 | 15.5 | |
| 5 | 9 | France | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 82.5 | 15.5 | |
| 6 | 18 | Iran | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 80.5 | 16.5 | |
| 7 | 10 | Armenia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 79 | 14.5 | |
| 8 | 11 | England | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 73.5 | 14.5 | |
| 9 | 23 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 82 | 15.5 | |
| 10 | 13 | Spain | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 76 | 14.5 | |
| 11 | 1 | United States of America | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 73 | 13.5 | |
| 12 | 7 | Azerbaijan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 72 | 14 | |
| 13 | 52 | Indonesia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 71 | 16 | |
| 14 | 39 | Belarus | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 71 | 15.5 | |
| 15 | 6 | Netherlands | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 69.5 | 12 | |
| 16 | 14 | Turkiye | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 69 | 14.5 | |
| 17 | 30 | Uzbekistan 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 69 | 13.5 | |
| 18 | 16 | Poland | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 68 | 15 | |
| 19 | 36 | Sweden | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 67.5 | 14.5 | |
| 20 | 12 | Ukraine | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 67 | 13.5 | |
| 21 | 24 | Argentina | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 65 | 14.5 | |
| 22 | 22 | Israel | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 65 | 14 | |
| 23 | 19 | Greece | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 64.5 | 14.5 | |
| 24 | 28 | Bulgaria | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 64.5 | 14 | |
| 25 | 15 | Serbia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 63 | 13 | |
| 26 | 21 | Norway | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 62.5 | 15 | |
| 27 | 33 | Switzerland | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 62 | 13.5 | |
| 28 | 61 | Tajikistan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 55 | 13.5 | |
| 29 | 8 | Hungary | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 52.5 | 10 |
Eight teams came into round five of the Open section of the Olympiad on a perfect score, but only three maintained that record, with the biggest sensation the loss of the top-seeded U.S. team, which fielded what on paper was its strongest lineup.
The early action came in Donchenko-Aronian, with the German star going for some very sharp and sacrificial theory.
GM Levon Aronian couldn’t grab a piece and hold onto it without getting checkmated down the h-file, but the early action fizzled out into a 26-move draw by repetition.
We saw an even quicker draw on the top board, where GMs Vincent Keymer and Fabiano Caruana achieved perfect symmetry on move 20 and also drew by repetition shortly afterward.
That increased the pressure on the other boards, but for Svane against Niemann things were going like a dream. He told FM Mike Klein afterward that he’d played the same first 15 moves against GM Michael Adams in a 2022 game in the German League.
Frederik Svane after beating Hans Niemann: “I was very happy after the opening because I had played this against Michael Adams with White until move 15 or something, and probably that was my best game ever also, so I had really good memories!”#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/DxYkKRn7aJ
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
Nevertheless, Svane said “it was kind of tough to do anything,” before Niemann blundered a pawn. From there, it was one-way traffic, with Svane not only finding the winning move 27.Nc5!! but banging it out on the board almost instantly.
Frederik Svane bangs out the crushing 27.Nc5!! and is completely winning vs. Hans Niemann — that will mean top seeds USA can at best draw their match vs. Germany! https://t.co/qzPa9P0ugy#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/xSu5XC8Nwu
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
There was no way back for Niemann, as Svane wrapped up a fine win, which is our Game of the Day. GM Rafael Leitao has analyzed it below.
That wasn’t quite the end, as GM Wesley So could save the match with a win over GM Matthias Bluebaum. The game was wild, with the German number-two going for a remarkable queen sacrifice.
In the end, however, German team captain GM Jan Gustafsson didn’t even have to pretend to read his book, since the ending was headed to a clear fortress.
Jan Gustafsson after Germany beat USA: “After Frederik won it looked like it was a fairly simple draw, so I wasn’t that nervous anymore. Before that I was pretending to read my book, but it was a tense match, for sure!”#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/lJTim0D95e
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
That was the one defeat for a top team, but others were held to a draw. 23rd seed Romania held seventh seed Azerbaijan 2-2 after GM Daniel Bogdan-Deac beat GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on top board, while 10th seed Armenia made four draws against fourth seed China. That match witnessed a near miss for GM Ding Liren, who spotted a nice sting in the tail after GM Haik Martirosyan gave up his queen, but in the end there was another unbreakable fortress.
Two teams joined Germany in the lead, with the most emphatic performance coming from the host nation, Uzbekistan.
The Uzbek players need to deal with added attention, as we saw with the ceremonial first move. It was to be made by Arkady Dvorkovich, who recently stepped down from performing his duties as FIDE President after being sanctioned by the European Union. Curiouser still, the move was delayed as both GMs Richard Rapport and Peter Leko showed up five minutes late for their games with GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich makes the ceremonial opening move for Richard Rapport vs. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, though Leko & Rapport are both late to the Hungary vs. Uzbekistan games! #ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/YiE6zrJI4Q
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
If that was awkward, there was nothing awkward about the way Uzbekistan played the match. The team received a huge boost when Rapport dropped a key pawn with 17.g4?.
Abdusattorov’s win never seriously looked in doubt, and the team win looked certain when GM Benjamin Gledura‘s aggressive opening also backfired against GM Nodirbek Yakubboev. It just emphasized the power of the Uzbek squad that the “other Nodirbek” is now a 2700-live-rated player as well.
Leko and GM Gleb Dudin were left with the unenviable task of needing to win with the black pieces against Sindarov and GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov respectively. Though their positions were decent for a long time, that never looked likely, and instead both got ground into dust as Uzbekistan made it 4-0 to head the standings.
Uzbekistan’s biggest rivals again look to be India, and the Indian team found a way to win, even if it was somewhat shakier. Giri had won all four of his previous games, while Praggnanandhaa had been held to draws, and initially it seemed like the Dutch number-one’s momentum might continue when he found a sacrifice on h3 and the correct follow-up.
“Complete chaos!” says Arturs Neiksans about Giri’s position vs. Praggnanandhaa! https://t.co/M0i4QQQ2Gm#ChessOpen pic.twitter.com/liIJZj0EeK
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
Praggnanandhaa looked on the ropes, but noted, “in some critical moments in time trouble I managed to outplay him.”
Praggnanandhaa also revealed he was offered a draw by Giri, explaining: “I had to make a call if I should take a draw or go for it. I felt Gukesh was pushing, but it was not really clear to me. It could also be that White can manage a fortress, so I felt keeping the game going can make sense, and it worked out today.”
Gukesh moved to 4.5/5 after L’Ami blundered with 23.f4?, running into 23…c3! and the black bishop coming to c4.
We’ve got the most anticipated clash of the whole Olympiad in round six, as 2022 champion and host Uzbekistan takes on 2024 champion India in the one meeting of teams on a perfect score. Germany is given China as a reward for beating the U.S. team.
Round 6 Pairings: Top 10 Open
| Match | Seed | FED | Team | Pts | MP | Res | : | Res | MP | Pts | Team | FED | Seed |
| 1 | 3 | Uzbekistan | 17 | 10 | : | 10 | 14½ | India | 2 | ||||
| 2 | 4 | China | 15½ | 9 | : | 10 | 15 | Germany | 5 | ||||
| 3 | 9 | France | 15½ | 9 | : | 9 | 14½ | England | 11 | ||||
| 4 | 10 | Armenia | 14½ | 9 | : | 9 | 16½ | Iran | 18 | ||||
| 5 | 1 | United States of America | 13½ | 8 | : | 8 | 15 | Norway | 21 | ||||
| 6 | 6 | Netherlands | 12 | 8 | : | 8 | 14 | Israel | 22 | ||||
| 7 | 7 | Azerbaijan | 14 | 8 | : | 8 | 14½ | Argentina | 24 | ||||
| 8 | 23 | Romania | 15½ | 8 | : | 8 | 10 | Hungary | 8 | ||||
| 9 | 12 | Ukraine | 13½ | 8 | : | 8 | 14 | Bulgaria | 28 | ||||
| 10 | 13 | Spain | 14½ | 8 | : | 8 | 13½ | Uzbekistan 2 | 30 |
Women: Poland Beat India Again As Only 4 Leaders Remain
As GM David Howell commented on the live broadcast, Poland again proved to be India’s kryptonite, while the hosts came incredibly close to handing the U.S. team its second defeat of the day.
Round 5 Results: Women’s Top 10
Poland, China, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan lead the Women’s Olympiad with a perfect five match wins.
Women’s Standings After Round 5: Top 30
| # | Seed | FED | Team | + | = | – | Points | TB1 | TB2 |
| 1 | 9 | Poland | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 100 | 16.5 | |
| 2 | 4 | China | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 97 | 17 | |
| 3 | 3 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 90 | 16 | |
| 4 | 7 | Azerbaijan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 83 | 16 | |
| 5 | 5 | United States of America | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 94.5 | 17 | |
| 6 | 13 | Uzbekistan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 78 | 16 | |
| 7 | 11 | Bulgaria | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 90 | 15 | |
| 8 | 1 | India | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 88 | 15.5 | |
| 9 | 10 | Germany | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 83 | 14 | |
| 10 | 14 | Serbia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 79.5 | 15 | |
| 11 | 20 | England | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 78 | 16 | |
| 12 | 26 | Turkiye | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 73 | 15 | |
| 13 | 21 | Vietnam | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 72 | 16 | |
| 14 | 17 | Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 72 | 15 | |
| 15 | 25 | Slovenia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 71 | 15.5 | |
| 16 | 8 | France | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 71 | 15 | |
| 17 | 32 | Belarus | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 71 | 15 | |
| 18 | 23 | Romania | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 70 | 15.5 | |
| 19 | 16 | Armenia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 70 | 14.5 | |
| 20 | 22 | Israel | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 68 | 15 | |
| 21 | 30 | Iran | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 67 | 14 | |
| 22 | 12 | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 65.5 | 14.5 | |
| 23 | 2 | Georgia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 61 | 14.5 | |
| 24 | 6 | Ukraine | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 60 | 14 | |
| 25 | 15 | Mongolia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 59 | 13.5 | |
| 26 | 55 | Turkmenistan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 58 | 14 | |
| 27 | 18 | Hungary | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 56 | 13 | |
| 28 | 33 | Italy | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 56 | 13 | |
| 29 | 19 | Spain | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 55.5 | 13 | |
| 30 | 31 | Latvia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 51 | 12.5 |
Midway through round five it looked almost certain that the U.S. would lose in the Women’s section as well, since Yip was lost on top board, IM Rose Atwell was in trouble on the bottom board, and the other boards were equal. In the end, however, the American team limited the damage to a 2-2 draw.
Atwell escaped, and it was even her opponent who had to force a draw by perpetual check, while Lee moved to 5/5 with a clutch win over IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, who had actually led the U.S. team for the previous two Olympiads. Lee said that helped her, since, “I think it was good because I’m quite familiar with her games and I have a very good record against her, so psychologically I think I have a bit of an edge.”
Alice Lee: “I think I just really like this event, it’s so fun, because I’m playing alongside the top American women, which is kind of rare for me. It’s usually the opposite, I’m playing against them. It’s just really great to be in such an environment!”#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/QhMBgL3LEJ
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
It still came down to fine margins, with only 48.Kh3? the decisive mistake. The outcome was clear when Lee swapped off queens, demonstrating she’d seen the winning lines.
Alice Lee finds the key move that may save the US team— exchanging queens and offering a bishop sac, but her pawns will be unstoppable! https://t.co/gwckcFwmSb#ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/Gve729DxVU
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
Teams that maintained a perfect record were China, who overcame Bulgaria 3-1, Azerbaijan, which beat Serbia by the same scoreline, and Kazakhstan, for whom IM Meruert Kamalidenova pounced on a single mistake by WGM Hanna Marie Klek to clinch a 2.5-1.5 victory.
Draws on the remaining boards, including for IM Alua Nurman, were enough for victory. Nurman explained that third seed Kazakhstan is gunning for gold.
“Gold, of course!” says Kazakhstan’s Alua Nurman when asked about the team’s goal in this #ChessOlympiad—they’re close to beating Germany today and reaching 10/10! pic.twitter.com/jU12jSkVly
— chess24 (@chess24com) September 20, 2026
The sensation of the round, however, was that Poland once again beat India, as they did in both 2022 and 2024.
Another parallel was that Vaishali lost in all three encounters, this time in a painful clash against Maltsevskaya, who maintained her perfect score. Vaishali was perhaps even slightly better in a chaotic clash, until she exchanged off queens. The ending was roughly equal, but the compound effect of inaccuracies was that suddenly Maltsevskaya began to pick up pawns one after another, until there was no defense.
India will be hoping they can bounce back just as they did in 2024 to win the title, but it’s not going to be easy, since they face the U.S. in round six.
Meanwhile there are two clashes of teams on perfect scores, Azerbaijan vs. Kazakhstan and Poland vs. China—will anyone still be perfect going into the rest day?
Round 6 Pairings: Top 10 Women’s
| Match | Seed | FED | Team | Pts | MP | Res | : | Res | MP | Pts | Team | FED | Seed |
| 1 | 2 | Georgia | 14½ | 8 | : | 9 | 16 | Uzbekistan* | 13 | ||||
| 2 | 7 | Azerbaijan | 16 | 10 | : | 10 | 16 | Kazakhstan | 3 | ||||
| 3 | 9 | Poland | 16½ | 10 | : | 10 | 17 | China | 4 | ||||
| 4 | 1 | India | 15½ | 8 | : | 9 | 17 | United States of America | 5 | ||||
| 5 | 6 | Ukraine | 14 | 8 | : | 8 | 16 | England | 20 | ||||
| 6 | 8 | France | 15 | 8 | : | 8 | 16 | Vietnam | 21 | ||||
| 7 | 23 | Romania | 15½ | 8 | : | 8 | 14 | Germany | 10 | ||||
| 8 | 11 | Bulgaria | 15 | 8 | : | 8 | 15 | Israel | 22 | ||||
| 9 | 12 | Netherlands | 14½ | 8 | : | 8 | 15½ | Slovenia | 25 | ||||
| 10 | 26 | Turkiye | 15 | 8 | : | 8 | 15 | Serbia | 14 |
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad is a massive team event for national federations that takes place every two years. In 2026 it’s being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with 11 rounds that run September 16-27. In Open and Women’s sections, teams of five players compete in a Swiss system, with each match played over four boards. There are two match points for a win and one for a draw, with board points taken into account only if teams are tied. Players have 90 minutes per game, plus 30 minutes from move 40, with a 30-second increment per move.
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