Source: Indian Express
Context
The 46th Chess Olympiad began in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with India defending its Olympiad gold in both the open and women’s sections.
India’s Position
- Seeded second in the event
- Defending champions from Budapest 2024
- Captain and non-playing coach: Srinath Narayanan, who led India to the Budapest gold
- Assisted by Sankalp Gupta and Vaibhav Suri
Important Facts for Exams
- 46th Chess Olympiad — Samarkand, Uzbekistan; India seeded second; USA top seed
- India won gold in both open and women’s sections at the 45th Olympiad, Budapest 2024 — a historic first
- Men’s board order: Praggnanandhaa (1), Arjun Erigaisi (2), Nihal Sarin (3), Gukesh (4)
- Women’s team led by Koneru Humpy
- Captain: Srinath Narayanan
- D. Gukesh — became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion in 2024, at 18, beating Ding Liren
- Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) — reigning World Cup and Candidates winner; Gukesh’s challenger
- Divya Deshmukh won the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025
- Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali are India’s leading women players
- Viswanathan Anand — five-time World Champion, India’s first Grandmaster (1988); currently FIDE Deputy President
- Chess Olympiad — organised by FIDE, held every two years; India hosted the 44th edition at Chennai in 2022
- FIDE — Fédération Internationale des Échecs, headquartered at Lausanne, Switzerland
- Samarkand — a Silk Road city in Uzbekistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, associated with Timur
