India gears up to face Uzbekistan in the 46th Chess Olympiad, with 399 teams competing.
The 11‑round showdown in Samarkand pits India’s chess trinity—Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun—against an Uzbek squad led by world No. 4 Javokhir Sindarov. The former champion Kramnik, who called the 2024 match a bout of "real chess," reminds us that a draw can be a draw.
Rustam Kasimdzhanov, former second to Anand, has steered the Uzbek side to a tight preparation. Nodirbek Abdusarttorov, a 21‑year‑old rising star, said at the press conference, "It was unimaginable that we would host an event of this magnitude six‑seven years ago," adding that the support of the nation made it possible.
India’s men are not the top seeds, a slot reserved for the USA, but they carry the weight of double gold. The women, with K Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali R, are top‑seeded, a rare trio given Russia’s ban and China’s incomplete squad.
The outcome will be felt beyond Samarkand. A win would cement India’s status after stopping the Uzbek streak in 2022 and 2024, while a loss could open the door for Sindarov’s team to challenge the reigning champs.
Next up: the India‑Uzbek clash on Day 5 of the Olympiad, followed by Gukesh’s world title defence in Geneva on November 24.