Round three of the 46th Chess Olympiad, held in Samarkand in September 2026, largely followed expectations for the seeded favorites, yet a handful of shock results on both the open and women’s sections added drama to the competition. The most notable moments included a game‑saving endgame by Grandmaster Anish Giri for the Netherlands, a pair of lower‑seed upsets in the open field, and a series of surprising defeats for Ukraine and France in the women’s tournament.
Open section: dominant seeds and surprise victories
In the open division, the top‑seeded teams largely marched to victory, but two matches on the lower half of the top‑50 boards produced unexpected outcomes. The 79th‑seeded team from Kyrgyzstan defeated the 31st‑seeded Brazil side 2.5‑1.5, despite Brazil fielding three grandmasters. The decisive board‑four win came from untitled player Timur Daudov, rated 2063, who outplayed International Master Diego Di Berardino in a pawn‑down knight ending, with Di Berardino’s final error on move 54 sealing the upset.
Equally striking was the triumph of 50th‑seeded Singapore over 21st‑seeded Norway, also by a 2.5‑1.5 margin. The Singaporean victory hinged on Grandmaster Jingyao Tin’s commanding rook‑ending performance against Norway’s Grandmaster Johan‑Sebastian Christiansen. Norway’s line‑up lacked former world champion Magnus Carlsen, but the result still counted as a major surprise.
Among the top‑ten board battles, the Netherlands (sixth seed) narrowly avoided a tie with Australia (32nd seed). Australian International Master Rishi Sardana managed a win over Dutch Grandmaster Loek van Wely on board three, while Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest answered with a win against Australia’s Temur Kuybokarov on board two. The remaining boards were drawn, leaving the match at 1.5‑1.5 heading into the final board. In a decisive endgame on board one, Grandmaster Anish Giri outmaneuvered Australian Grandmaster Bobby Cheng, converting a slim advantage into a win that secured a 2‑1 match victory for the Netherlands. The game was later highlighted as the “Game of the Day,” with annotations promised by Grandmaster Rafael Leitao.
The United States, a perennial contender, faced early trouble. Denmark’s Grandmaster Bjorn Moller Ochsner outplayed American Grandmaster Awonder Liang on board four, while Grandmaster Jonas Buhl Bjerre obtained a large advantage against Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana on board one. Caruana managed to hold the position to a draw, but Liang succumbed to a second consecutive loss after navigating a complex endgame. The United States recovered on the remaining boards, with Grandmasters Wesley So and Hans Niemann delivering wins on boards two and three. So’s victory featured a queen sacrifice that forced a decisive tactical sequence after a blunder by Grandmaster Jesper Thybo.
In an interview conducted jointly with International Master Carissa Yip, Chess.com’s FM Mike Klein asked the American players about their medal aspirations. So emphasized the primacy of gold, stating, “I think one gold is better than two silvers.” Yip echoed the sentiment, adding, “I want the boys to get gold!”
Other top‑seeded teams such as Kazakhstan, China and the United States secured expected wins, while Uzbekistan’s debutant Grandmaster Mukhiddin Madaminov won his board‑four game against Austria’s International Master Konstantin Peyrer after a successful exchange sacrifice.
Women’s Olympiad: India’s dominance and fresh upsets
The women’s competition saw defending champions India continue their strong form, defeating Greece 3.5‑0.5 in round three. Grandmaster Koneru Humpy avenged a recent loss to International Master Stavroula Tsolakidou by securing a decisive win on the top board, reinforcing India’s position as the tournament favorite. Humpy’s victory came less than a week after she and the Indian team, led by Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, lost the Global Chess League final, during which Tsolakidou was awarded a motorcycle as the event’s MVP.
Despite India’s success, two higher‑seeded teams suffered unexpected defeats. Sixth‑seeded Ukraine was beaten 3‑1 by 38th‑seeded Argentina, while eighth‑seeded France fell 3‑1 to 30th‑seeded Iran. These upsets marked the first major surprises on the top tables of the women’s Olympiad.
Other notable performances included a 2‑2 draw between Lithuania and England, where Lithuania’s Grandmaster Paulius Pultinevicius won on board three, offsetting England’s Grandmaster Luke McShane’s win on board two. Moldova held Croatia to a draw, and Belgium did the same with Iran.
Only Poland managed a clean 4‑0 sweep against Latvia, while Kazakhstan (third seed) beat Slovenia 3.5‑0.5. Grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva, representing Kazakhstan, was held to a draw for the second consecutive day.
Individual highlights and upcoming round four
Among the individual standouts, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju rebounded from a brief dip below a 2700 live rating by defeating Italy’s Grandmaster Sabino Brunello on board four, lifting his live rating back to 2702. Gukesh described his opponent’s 14.Ng5 as “a bit too creative” and noted a critical mistake on 20.Nc2?, after which he executed a strong pawn sacrifice to seize the initiative. He also commented on logistical challenges, recalling that the Indian team waited six hours for a hotel room after the first round.
World Champion Ding Liren recorded his second win in three rounds, beating Bulgaria’s Grandmaster Arkadij Naiditsch as China posted a 3.5‑0.5 match victory. Ding highlighted that his opponent missed the move 25.Nce2, allowing Ding to coordinate his pieces for a winning tactical sequence. He added that this was his first foreign tournament since winning the 2024 World Championship, noting that he had spent the intervening years playing sports and watching movies.
Germany defeated Uzbekistan’s second team 2.5‑1.5, with Grandmaster Vincent Keymer securing a win on board one while the other boards were drawn. Azerbaijan beat Switzerland 3‑1, and France, despite its earlier upset loss, later defeated Kazakhstan 3.5‑0.5.
Round four is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, with matches beginning at 6:15 a.m. ET / 12:15 CEST / 3:45 p.m. IST. The pairings pit several of the day’s victors against each other, including a clash between Uzbekistan and Turkey. Turkey’s youthful line‑up features 15‑year‑old Grandmaster Yağız Erdoğan Muş (rated 2716) on board one and 17‑year‑old Grandmaster Ediz Gürel (2636) on board two, promising an exciting encounter.
As the Olympiad progresses, the competition remains fierce across both sections. The open field will see the Netherlands aim to build on Giri’s decisive endgame win, while lower‑seeded teams like Kyrgyzstan and Singapore look to capitalize on their early upsets. In the women’s tournament, India seeks to maintain its unbeaten streak, and the surprise defeats of Ukraine and France suggest that the battle for medals will remain open until the final rounds.
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