Chess Olympiad 2026: India beats Thailand 3-1 despite Arjun upset
· Sports · Sportstar, Chess, NDTV Sports
The Indian mens chess team secured a 3-1 victory over Thailand in the opening round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. While Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, and Vidit Gujrathi registered wins against lower-rated opponents, Arjun suffered a significant loss on the top board to 2363-rated IM Prin Laohawirap. In the women's event, India completed a clean 4-0 sweep against the Dominican Republic, with victories from Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Savitha B, and Vantika Joshi. Both R Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh were rested during these opening matches.
Why it matters
India enters the tournament as the defending champion in both sections, and these early results with an unexpected top-board loss set the tone for their campaign.
Read the original report — Sportstar
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