(Photo FIDE)
Uzbekistan won the Open section of the Chess Olympiad on home soil in Samarkand, defeating Ukraine 2.5–1.5 in the final round to claim their second Olympiad title after Chennai 2022. India took silver following a 2–2 draw with Hungary, while Germany secured bronze with a 2.5–1.5 victory over the Netherlands.
China claimed the Women’s gold medal with a convincing 3–1 victory over Vietnam in the final round, while Kazakhstan secured silver after a 2–2 draw with Poland. India took bronze on tiebreak after also drawing 2–2 with Georgia.
With a decisive 2.5–1.5 victory over Ukraine, Uzbekistan won the Olympiad, claiming the title on home soil. Although a 2–2 draw would probably have been enough to secure gold, reserve board Mukhiddin Madaminov delivered the decisive point on board four, finishing the event with an outstanding unbeaten score of 5.5/7. His performance fully justified his selection for the team.
The other three games ended in draws; Nodirbek Abdusattorov pressed hard in a bishop ending with an extra pawn, but let the win slip away at the very end. This is Uzbekistan’s second Olympiad victory, following their triumph in Chennai in 2022, with four of the five players from that team repeating their success in Samarkand.
Abdusattorov also takes home the individual gold medal for board one, recording an outstanding 2869 performance rating.
India takes silver, Germany claims bronze
India secured the silver medal after a 2–2 draw with Hungary. Arjun Erigaisi overcame Peter Leko with Black on board two, while Gleb Dudin produced the result of his tournament by defeating World Champion Gukesh D on board four. Dudin’s victory secured him the individual gold medal on first reserve board, while Gukesh finished with the silver medal on board four.
Germany claimed bronze after defeating the Netherlands 2.5–1.5, with Matthias Bluebaum scoring the decisive win against Jorden van Foreest on board two. Frederik Svane took the individual gold medal on board three with an impressive 2796 performance rating.
All three medal-winning teams had occupied the top boards throughout much of the tournament, making their final positions a reflection of their consistent performances across the eleven rounds.
The United States, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Hungary shared fourth to seventh place, while China dropped to eighth after spending much of the tournament among the leaders. Wei Yi nevertheless secured the individual gold medal on board two.
China claims Women’s gold in style
China dominated Vietnam 3–1 in the final match to clinch the gold medal in convincing fashion. On board one, Zhu Jiner led the team’s triumph with a win against Le Thao Nguyen Pham, finishing the Olympiad with an outstanding unbeaten score of 7/9.
She also secured the individual gold medal on board one, capping an excellent tournament.
Although China’s women’s team also boasts such world-class players as Hou Yifan, World Champion Ju Wenjun, Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi, their performance in Uzbekistan has shown that the country’s next generation of elite players is more than capable of delivering at the highest level, even in the absence of its highest-rated stars.
China’s other win came on board three, where Lu Miaoyi continued her remarkable tournament with a decisive victory over Phuong Hanh Luong. The 16-year-old remained unbeaten throughout the Olympiad, scoring an impressive 9.5/11.
Her performance underlines the strength and depth of Chinese women’s chess, and suggests that many more medals could be on the horizon for the young star. Lu also took home the individual gold medal on board three.
Kazakhstan takes silver as India secures bronze
Kazakhstan, who spent much of the Olympiad fighting on the top boards, secured the silver medal after drawing 2–2 with Poland in the final round. Aleksandra Maltsevskaya defeated Alua Nurman on board two, but Elnaz Kaliakhmet levelled the match for Kazakhstan with a win over Alicja Sliwicka on board four. The victory also secured Kaliakhmet the individual gold medal on board four.
India, the United States, Poland, Armenia and Mongolia all finished on the same match-point total, but India claimed the bronze medal on tiebreak after drawing 2–2 with Georgia in the final round. Alice Lee of the United States took the individual gold medal on board two with a performance rating of 2572, while India’s Shri B Savitha secured the board-five gold medal.
