India Beat England, Women Crush Germany in Chess Olympiad Round 7

India produced a timely response after their first setback at the 46th Chess Olympiad, with the men's team defeating England and the women's side crushing Germany 3.5-0.5 in the seventh round, keeping both defending champions firmly in the medal race as the tournament enters its decisive phase.

The men's victory came after India lost 1.5-2.5 to hosts Uzbekistan in Round 6, ending their five-match winning streak. Uzbekistan strengthened its lead by defeating China 3-1 and now tops the Open standings with 14 match points. India are third with 12 points, level with the Netherlands, who occupy second place on the tiebreak. Germany, Azerbaijan and Armenia are also on 12 points, while China has 11.

R Praggnanandhaa led India's response with a tactical victory over Nikita Vitiugov on Board 1. After navigating the opening, Praggnanandhaa shifted the pressure to the queenside and converted his advantage precisely. He now has 3 points from five games.

On Board 4, world champion D Gukesh remained unbeaten after defeating Daniel Howard Fernandez. Gukesh has scored 5 points from six games, including four wins and two draws, with a performance rating of 2725. His continued form is notable because he had played on Board 1 during India's previous two Olympiad gold-medal campaigns but is competing on Board 4 in Samarkand.

Arjun Erigaisi drew with Michael Adams, while Nihal Sarin lost to Luke McShane. Nihal had earlier won three consecutive games before his recent setbacks. India's five-player squad also includes Vidit Gujrathi, giving captain Srinath Narayanan scope to rotate players across the remaining rounds.

The women's team delivered an even stronger result against Germany. Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh won, Vaishali Rameshbabu drew, and Savitha Shri secured another victory. Savitha is now five-for-five in the tournament, one of India's standout individual performances.

The result lifted the women's team to 12 match points and third place, just one behind joint leaders China and Kazakhstan on 13. Both leaders drew 2-2 in Round 7, leaving India within striking distance with four rounds remaining.

India entered Samarkand as defending champions in both sections after their historic double gold in Budapest 2024. The record-breaking Olympiad features 208 Open and 192 women's teams across 11 rounds.

With four rounds remaining, India's challenge for the Open title remains alive but demanding. Gukesh's unbeaten run, Praggnanandhaa's recovery and Savitha's perfect score have provided crucial momentum as both defending champions enter the final stretch. India can reach 20 match points by winning all four remaining matches, but they would need Uzbekistan, currently on 14, to lose at least one of its remaining games to draw level at the top; the final order would then depend on the applicable tiebreak.