Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The national teams of Uzbekistan, India, China and the United States continued their successful runs in the open section with victories in the third round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.
In the women’s tournament, major surprises included Argentina’s convincing victory over Ukraine and Iran’s win against France.
Before the start of the third round in the open section, the ceremonial first moves were made by Muzaffar Sataev, adviser to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Asia Alliance Bank, and Khulkar Tohirjonova, adviser to the President of the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan. In the women’s tournament, the first move was made by Dana Reizniece, acting FIDE Chair and former Minister of Economics and Finance of Latvia.
Following the arrival of the Central African Republic team in the second round and Angola in the third, the total number of teams reached record levels — 205 in the open section and 189 in the women’s tournament. Thus, the 2026 Olympiad in Uzbekistan has become the largest in the history of the competition.
In the open tournament, Uzbekistan defeated Austria 3:1. Mukhiddin Madaminov secured the team’s first win, followed by Javokhir Sindarov, who added the second point. Madaminov has scored 2.5 points out of three.
India also won 3:1, defeating Italy. Nihal Sarin secured his third consecutive victory, while world champion Gukesh D reached 2.5 points out of three.
China comfortably defeated Bulgaria 3.5:0.5. Ding Liren recorded his second victory of the tournament, while Yu Yangyi finished his game against Kiril Georgiev with a spectacular checkmate combination.
After defeating Uzbekistan’s national team 3:0 in the second round, Germany faced Uzbekistan’s second team this time and won 2.5:1.5. Vincent Keymer secured the decisive victory on the first board.
The United States defeated Denmark by a narrow 2.5:1.5 margin. Awonder Liang suffered his second consecutive defeat. Hans Niemann and Wesley So remain unbeaten, while Fabiano Caruana provided consistent play on the first board.
Azerbaijan defeated Switzerland 3:1, while France beat Kazakhstan 3.5:0.5. Matches between Ukraine and Spain, Türkiye and Poland, and several other teams also ended 3:1.
In the women’s tournament, the United States secured a convincing 3.5:0.5 victory over Cuba. Carissa Yip won her game on the first board, while the other American players also finished their games unbeaten.
India defeated Greece by the same score, 3.5:0.5. Humpy Koneru defeated Stavroula Tsolakidou. China beat Türkiye 3:1, with Zhu Jiner and Song Shuxin securing wins on the first two boards.
Uzbekistan, seeded 13th, maintained its perfect record. The hosts defeated Indonesia 3:1, securing victories on the third and fourth boards.
Kazakhstan, the third-seeded team, defeated Slovenia 3.5:0.5. Bibisara Assaubayeva drew on the first board, while her three teammates secured victories.
One of the biggest surprises of the third round was Ukraine’s defeat to Argentina. The team seeded 28th won 3.5:0.5. Another unexpected result came from Iran, which defeated France, the eighth-seeded team, 3:1.
The fourth round will begin on 19 September at 15:00 at the Silk Road EXPO venue in Samarkand. Fans will be able to watch the games at the venue, while a broadcast with commentary will be available on the FIDE YouTube channel.
