4 min readNew DelhiSep 20, 2026 11:49 PM IST
The fortunes of the Indian men’s and women’s teams at the 2026 Chess Olympiad now look quite different after the fifth round on Sunday. The women’s side saw their juggernaut come to a sudden halt with a loss to Poland, while the men’s team, after overcoming a relatively slower start, now looks well-placed to mount a serious fight for their gold medal defence.
Continuing their ruthless winning streak, India dispatched the Netherlands in what eventually became a one-sided 3.0-1.0 match, their fifth win in a row.
After Arjun Erigaisi’s first win of the event on Saturday, it was R Praggnanandhaa’s turn to taste his maiden victory on the top board. Meanwhile, the decision to play reigning World Champion D Gukesh on the last board continues to bear fruit, as the two Chennai Grandmasters turned the game in India’s favour on the extreme boards.
In a repeat of their Candidates match, Pragg went one-up against Anish Giri, breaking the Dutchman’s four-match winning streak. Having been the Netherlands’ trump card, Giri had plenty on his shoulders on the top board.
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Hoping to snatch half a point from Pragg with the black pieces, Giri offered the Indian a draw in an equal position. But high on confidence after his recent successes at Norway Chess and the Grand Chess Tour, Pragg declined. He continued to press, induced a mistake from Giri, and never looked back.
Meanwhile, Gukesh now sits on 4.5 points from five rounds after beating Erwin L’Ami for his fourth win in five rounds. Playing with the black pieces, Gukesh was in complete control throughout and converted in his favour the moment he got an advantage.
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Gukesh won his fourth match of 2026 Chess Olympiad against Erwin L’Ami. (Michal Walusza/FIDE)
Arjun and Nihal Sarin were solid on the second and third boards respectively. Arjun played a draw with Jorden Van Foreest, while Nihal was held to a draw by Loek Van Wely, the same player who coaches Global Chess League side Triveni Continental Kings.
‘Top board, an honour’
Having replaced Gukesh on Board 1, Praggnanandhaa says it is an honour to play on the top board for India. “It’s an honour playing Board 1 for India. I think it’s an opportunity to be on Board 1, and I try and give my best. So far it hasn’t been so great, but today it was good. It was quite an important win, so I’m happy with that. We’ll see how it goes,” he said after taking down Giri.
Pragg wasn’t too pleased with himself after securing what was only his maiden win of the event. Asked if he was being too harsh on himself, having been solid on the top board, he said: “I think draws are generally fine, but I just had more chances. In all three games, I was the one pushing. Not to get one win there is disappointing. But when the team wins, you’re more happy for the team. I think the team is what matters in this event. So you don’t really care too much about your individual score.”
The biggest shocker of the round came in the clash between the USA and Germany, where the top-seeded Americans lost to the Germans. It was Frederik Svane’s win over Hans Niemann that gave Germany the crucial two points. After five rounds, only Germany, India, and Uzbekistan have the most match points (10).
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If the fifth round was a pressure test from the Dutch where the team succeeded with flying colours, the sixth round will bring up the biggest wall yet for the defending champions. They will take on home favourites Uzbekistan, led by Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.