Gukesh, Arjun Shine as India Crush Spain 3-1 at Chess Olympiad

India’s men produced another impressive performance at the 46th Chess Olympiad, defeating Spain 3-1 in the fourth round on Saturday, with world champion D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi registering crucial victories.

The result continued India’s strong start in the Open section of the tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Gukesh, playing on the fourth board, put together a clean victory over former world championship challenger Alexei Shirov, while Arjun secured an attacking win against Maksim Chigaev.

Gukesh, who had slipped below the 2700 rating mark earlier in the tournament, has now responded with two consecutive victories. Against Shirov, he faced the Sicilian Taimanov and gradually took control of the position in the middlegame, particularly over the dark squares.

Shirov attempted to generate counterplay by sacrificing a rook for a minor piece, but Gukesh accurately assessed the position and found that the compensation was insufficient. The Indian star then opened up the centre and converted his advantage without allowing his opponent any significant chances. The game ended after 42 moves.

Arjun had earlier given India the lead with an attacking display against Chigaev. Playing with the white pieces, he entered a Queen’s Indian structure by transposition and maintained the dynamic balance before launching a kingside attack. His pressure created weaknesses around the black king, allowing him to invade with his queen on the seventh rank and deliver the decisive blow.

On the remaining boards, R Praggnanandhaa drew with David Anton Guijarro, while Nihal Sarin shared the point with Jaime Santos Latasa.

India’s fourth-round result came after victories over Thailand, Indonesia and Italy in the opening three rounds. The Indian team, seeded second in the Open section with an average rating of 2735, is defending the gold medal it won at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest.

In the women’s section, India also made a strong start against Mongolia, taking a 2-0 lead after wins for B Savitha Shri and Divya Deshmukh. Savitha Shri continued her excellent run with a fourth consecutive victory, defeating experienced Mongolian player Munguntuul Batkhuyag. Divya defeated Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar.

India are among the leading teams in both sections as the tournament progresses. The Olympiad follows an 11-round Swiss-system format, with four players representing each team in every match. The 2026 edition is being held from September 16 to 27 in Samarkand.