Samarkand, Uzbekistan—On September 17, 2023, the 46th Chess Olympiad unfolded as the Indian teams retained the top spot on the leaderboard after the second round, accumulating four match points. The defending champions in both the open and women’s sections continued their strong performance, securing victories that kept them ahead of the competition.
In the open section, Nihal Sarin secured a decisive win over Hafiz Arif Abdul, exploiting a tactical opportunity that put the opponent’s king in danger. World champion D Gukesh drew with Satria Duta Cahaya, who matched him move for move in a game that ended in perpetual checks. Praggnanandhaa also drew with Susanto Megaranto, reaching a rook and pawn endgame with an extra pawn that proved to be a theoretical draw after 79 moves. The United States defeated Mongolia 2.5‑1.5, while the host nation Uzbekistan won 3.5‑0.5 against Peru.
The women’s section saw India dominate Finland. World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh opened with a victory over Johanna Paasikangas on board two, followed by Vantika Agrawal defeating Sara‑Olivia Sippola on board three and B Savitha Shri beating Helja Lehtinen on board one. R Vaishali drew with Anastasia Keinanen, leaving India with a 3‑0 score against Finland.
With these results, the Indian teams remain at the summit of the leaderboard, holding four match points after two rounds of play at the 46th Chess Olympiad.
