Chess Olympiad: Indian men beat Thailand 3-1; women blank Dominican Republic

Last Updated:September 16, 2026, 21:15 IST

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Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Sep 16 (PTI) World champion D Gukesh, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi registered convincing victories but Arjun Erigaisi’s late collapse cost India a clean sweep as the men’s team began its campaign at the 46th World Chess Olympiad with a 3-1 win over Thailand here on Wednesday.

Nihal was the first Indian to win, defeating Thanadon Kulpruethanon, before Gukesh produced a brilliant attacking display to beat Faris Rashid Alriyami. Vidit then completed a comfortable victory over Tupfah Khumnorkaew.

Arjun, however, went down to Prin Laohawirapap after being in a position of strength for much of the game.

Playing with the white pieces, Arjun missed a huge advantage in the latter stages of the middlegame and was eventually dragged into the sixth hour.

Laohawirapap, a 20-year-old, held his nerve despite running short of time and capitalised on Arjun’s final blunder. With checkmate imminent, Arjun resigned.

Arjun was not the only big name to suffer on the opening day, with highly-rated Levon Aronian of the United States being held to a draw by Iraq’s Ali Ehsan Aryan.

The Indian women’s team, meanwhile, began its campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over the Dominican Republic.

Top-ranked Indian Koneru Humpy made a winning start with a victory over Franchesca Ramirez Luzon with the white pieces, while R Vaishali had a smooth outing against Miguelina De La Rosa Martinez.

Vantika Agrawal had to work harder for her victory over Mary Loly Gonzalez Peguero. The Indian appeared to be heading towards a draw before an error by her opponent led to a rook-and-minor-piece endgame, in which Vantika’s advanced passed pawn proved decisive.

B Savitha Shri also celebrated her Olympic debut with a win over Karla Mya Nunez Diaz.

The Olympiad, one of the biggest events in the chess calendar, has attracted teams from across the world. Each team can have five players in its squad, with four featuring in each round.

There are 11 rounds in all, with each match win earning two match points. Game points will serve as the tie-breaker if two or more teams finish level on match points at the top.

Open: India beat Thailand 3-1 (Arjun Erigaisi lost to Prin Laohawirapap; Nihal Sarin beat Thanadon Kulpruethanon; D Gukesh beat Faris Rashid Alriyami; Vidit Gujrathi beat Tupfah Khumnorkaew).

Women: India beat Dominican Republic 4-0 (Koneru Humpy beat Franchesca Ramirez Luzon; R Vaishali beat Miguelina De La Rosa Martinez; Vantika Agrawal beat Mary Loly Gonzalez Peguero; B Savitha Shri beat Karla Mya Nunez Diaz). PTI Cor AH AH

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)

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What were the results of the Indian men’s and women’s chess teams on the opening day of the 46th World Chess Olympiad?

The Indian men’s team began its campaign with a 3-1 victory over Thailand, while the Indian women’s team secured a commanding 4-0 sweep against the Dominican Republic.

Who defeated Arjun Erigaisi in India’s opening match at the 46th World Chess Olympiad?

Arjun Erigaisi was defeated by 20-year-old Prin Laohawirapap of Thailand after a late collapse in a match that lasted into the sixth hour.

How does the scoring and tie-breaker system work at the World Chess Olympiad?

The tournament consists of 11 rounds, with each match victory earning a team two match points. If two or more teams finish level on match points at the top, game points are used as the tie-breaker.

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First Published:

September 16, 2026, 21:15 IST

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