2026 Samarkand Olympiad Rounds 4–6: Uzbekistan in Sole Lead, Plays China in R7

Schedule

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Overview (Open)

Just one team is on a perfect 6/6 match victories: the home team, Uzbekistan. Trailing behind are China and Armenia, who both drew each other and are thus on 11/12 match points. Eleven more teams are on 10/12 match points; in order of tiebreaks, they are: France, the Netherlands, Türkiye, India, Greece, Germany, England, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan 2, and the United States of America.

The Leaders

#1: Uzbekistan

Round 4 vs. Türkiye, 2.5-1.5

Uzbekistan's match against Türkiye could have easily gone in the other direction for the home team, who were struggling on both first boards. Ultimately, though, experience prevailed, with both GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş and GM Ediz Gürel not being able to pose further problems for their opponents, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and GM Javokhir Sindarov, respectively (game 1 & 2). The players must have been comforted by GM Nodirbek Yakubboev's game against GM Vahap Şanal, who had a large advantage from the get-go and was very quickly completely winning.

Meanwhile, board 4 developed along similar lines to the top two boards, with GM Emre Can failing to increase his advantage against GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov.

Round 5 vs. Hungary, 4-0

Even Uzbekistan's biggest believers could not have predicted a clean sweep against the strong Hungarian team. The Uzbek team simply dominated from start to finish, with boards 1 and 3, GM Richárd Rapport vs. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and GM Benjámin Gledura vs. GM Nodirbek Yakubboev being particularly one-sided.

Round 6 vs. India, 2.5-1.5

Similar to the Türkiye match, boards 1 and 2 were under some pressure, with GM Arjun Erigaisi having an especially decent position against GM Javokhir Sindarov. As it stood, though, both GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Sindarov diffused GM R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun's advantages, both drawing their games before move 41. With world champion GM Gukesh D's game against GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov also ending in a draw, all eyes were on GM Nodirbek Yakubboev's game against GM Nihal Sarin. The game was level for a long time, but it was by far the most complicated game, so when Yakubboev blundered with 35. f4?, Nihal had a great opportunity to grant his team match victory. Alas for team India, Nihal quickly played a move, a counter-blunder, which Yakubboev, despite his time pressure, quickly capitalized on, and the game tragically ended in a loss for Nihal.

#2: China

Round 4 vs. Serbia, 3-1

After a solid draw from GM Ding Liren against GM Alexey Sarana on the top board, GM Wei Yi's incredibly positionally-minded sacrificial game, which saw many a knight dance, gave China a comforting psychological cushion.

Having said that, GM Yu Yangyi's game against GM Alexandr Predke must have been nerve-racking, but matters were not as easy as first meets the eye, for engines are known to overestimate these types of positions. Indeed, despite a second chance to win the game, Predke ultimately could not convert his advantage.

With a strong win by GM Kong Xiangrui against GM Bojan Maksimović on board 4, China went on to win the match without too many scares.

Content team member, streamer, and coach WFM Yilin Li asked GM Kong Xiangrui a very important question:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpOqX-vlbAE

Round 5 vs. Armenia, 2-2

China's draw against Armenia in round 5 was as calm as the scoreline indicates (games 2, 3, and 4) — except for one game, that of GM Ding Liren against GM Haik M. Martirosyan on the first board. In a complicated Italian Game, where it seemed that Ding's king was under pressure on the f-file, Ding uncorked a stunning tactic: first 21. Nh5!!, followed by the brilliant 24. Bd7!! after Martirosyan sacrificed his queen. The resulting position was far from winning for Ding, but it was one where he had a significant advantage and could press for the win. Martirosyan defended very well, however, and Ding had one last chance to play on on move 34 had he eschewed the liquidating 34. Rxd4, whereafter the game was straightforwardly drawn.

Round 6 vs. Germany, 3-1

With two quiet draws between GM Matthias Blübaum and GM Wei Yi on board 2 and GM Yu Yangyi and GM Frederik Svane on board 3, it was up to boards 1 and 4 to make the difference. That, indeed, they did as Ding played an electrifying opposite-colored bishop endgame, pushing his pawns passed, winning a piece, and converting very smoothly.

Our director of operations, Theo Wait, caught up with GM Ding Liren after his win:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhokVdg1yAc

Meanwhile, GM Xu Xiangyu played an impressive Petrov game against GM Alexander Donchenko, drumming up strong counterplay in an opposite-sides castling position, eventually forcing Donchenko to concede material and, later on, the game.

#3: Armenia

Round 4 vs. Argentina, 2.5-1.5

With GM Faustino Oro vs. GM Haik M. Martirosyan ending in a draw, and with both GM Robert Hovhannisyan and GM Gabriel Sargissian failing to convert their advantages against GM Diego Flores and GM Federico Perez Ponsa, respectively (game 2 & 4), GM Shant Sargsyan's win against GM Sandro Mareco turned the tables, gifting Armenia the win.

Round 6 vs. Iran, 2.5-1.5

GM Gabriel Sargissian, a permanent fixture of Armenia's team, came through for the Armenian team as they were facing the possibility of another drawn match following the round 5 draw against China. Sargissian moved his knights around and tactfully defended against IM Reza Mahdavi's dancing knights.

Other Leaders & Results

• Round 5 saw Germany defeat the United States 2.5-1.5 (decisive game 3) and India defeat the Netherlands (Praggnanandhaa vs. GM Anish Giri and Erwin L'Ami vs. Gukesh).

Our director of operations, Theo Wait, caught up with GM Frederik Svane after his win against GM Hans Moke Niemann:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFtUVadXDFM

• GM Jules Moussard of France played a brilliant and incredibly sharp demolition of the Petrov Defense, defeating IM Jáchym Němec of the Czech Republic in 26 moves and propelling his team to match victory with a 2.5-1.5 scoreline.
• Round 6 saw France draw England (GM Michael Adams vs. GM Etienne Bacrot and GM Marc'Andria Maurizzi vs. GM Gawain C B Maroroa James), with the USA also defeating Norway 2.5-1.5 after GM Hans Moke Niemann's win against GM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal.
• World champion GM Gukesh D, representing India's second team, played GM Alexei Shirov in the 2022 Olympiad on board 1, but now they faced each other on board 4 in round 4.
• GM Arjun Erigaisi played GM Jorden van Foreest's own opening course recommendation against him!
• The symmetry in the game between GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Vincent Keymer on move 20 was something else!

The Biggest Upsets

Round 4

Ayden Dirks (1800) of Aruba won against CM Tawfik Ezzeddin Kweiri (2140) of Libya, first playing a very solid game, then outplaying his much higher rated opponent in an endgame.

Other upsets include:

• Timur Daudov (2063) of Kyrgyzstan drew against GM Aksel Bu Kvaloy (2505) of Norway (game).
• CM Mabuza Mbongeni (1824) of Eswatini defeated FM Davidson Gabriel (2114) of Haiti (game).
• Marc Delrieu (1564) of Vanuatu won against Joseph Dalliah (1938) of Gambia (game).
• CM Thuso Mosutha (1995) of Botswana drew against FM Isaak Huh (2324) of South Korea (game).
• Johan Van Delden (1990) of Curaçao drew against FM Shreyas Smith (2272) of Jamaica (game).
• FM Maher Ayyad (1946) of Bahrain drew against Nyola Wasswa Mark (2236) of Uganda (game).
• James Auckland (1744) of Jersey drew against CM George Mwale (2062) of Malawi (game).
• Robert Bridet (1679) of Dominica drew against Abdellahi Khaled Abdellahi (2010) of Mauritania (game).
• Zhitian Chea (1521) of Cambodia drew against Benchly Cabanayan Buccat (1888) of Guam (game).
• FM Mashala Kabamwanishi (1940) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo drew against IM Mariano Oretga Amarelle (2375) of Cape Verde (game).
• Souminta Yomvilath (1495) of Laos drew against Alexander Potter (1883) of Guernsey (game).

Round 5

CM Adib Arkadan of Lebanon defeated GM Luís Galego, who has represented Portugal in over ten Chess Olympiads already. Arkadan made use of a powerful queen sortie, which effectively collapsed Galego's position as early as move 11.

Sanker Kim (1583) of Cambodia emerged victorious against Kodjovi Folly Corazon Doumassi (1965) of Togo, never giving his higher rated opponent an inch and eventually playing well enough in the endgame to convert his endgame long-ranged bishop advantage.

More upsets:

• FM Jaden Shaw (2100) of Jamaica defeated FM Daniel Pinto (2337) of Bolivia (game).
• FM Ahmed Abdullah S Alrehaili (2106) of Saudi Arabia won against IM Jose Camacho Collados (2358) of Wales (game).
• Mohammed Fahad M Alsemail (1982) of Saudi Arabia defeated FM Jonathan L B Blackburn (2239) of Wales (game).
• Shamoy Joseph (1578) of the British Virgin Islands got the best of Paul A Carpenter (1858) of Jersey (game).
• Marcos Ortiz (2226) of Nicaragua drew against GM Oscar De La Riva Aguado (2428) of Andorra (game).
• Bob Bibasa of Uganda (2026) drew against IM Antonio Almiron (2328) of Paraguay (game).
• Simon Hatwiikulipi Shidolo (1913) of Namibia drew against FM David Daniel Camacho Campusano (2195) of the Dominican Republic (game).
• Charles Eichab (1945) of Namibia drew against Juan Carlos Mesa Cruz (2287) of the Dominican Republic (game).
• Kyle Kuka (2012) of Kenya drew against IM Christopher Leonel Garzon Zapatanga (2305) of Ecuador (game).

Round 6

FM Thanadon Kulpruethanon (2220) of Thailand found a beautiful endgame tactic against GM Leon Livaić (2560) of Croatia.

Additional upsets:

• Kyaw Thiha(1655) of Myanmar won against CM Enen-Sa-Tefa Ab Khafra (2002) of Trinidad and Tobago (game).
• Rukundo Joe Stephane (1738) of Burundi defeated FM Dhahir Habeeb Muazaz (2119) of Iraq (game).

Round 7 Pairings

Overview (Women's)

China and Kazakhstan are in tied first on 12/12 match points, with 11 teams in close pursuit on 10/12 match points: India, Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland, Armenia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Georgia, France, Mongolia, and Ukraine.

The Leaders

#1: China

Round 4 vs. Hungary, 3.5-0.5

China did not have too many issues dispatching of Hungary, save for a miraculous save from IM Song Yuxin against IM Szidónia Lázárné Vajda, who managed to surprise Song in the Alapin and had a winning position in the opening.

Round 5 vs. Bulgaria, 3-1

Team China similarly did not face challenges against Bulgaria, with boards 1 and 2 being strong, somewhat quick victories, board 3 a very correct draw, and board 4 seeing WGM Zhai Mo fail to convert a winning position against WGM Gabriela Antova.

GM Zhu Jiner talked with content team member, streamer, and coach WFM Yilin Li:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd2ynXsjSq0

Round 6 vs. Poland, 3.5-0.5

In a heartbreaker for Poland's 1st board, IM Oliwia Kiolbasa, one misstep with the king meant that the Polish player lost all of the advantage she had been gradually building up against GM Zhu Jiner.

Fortunately for Kiolbasa, a positive result would not have changed the result of the match as the remaining three boards lost rather one-sided games (2, 3, and 4).

#2: Kazakhstan

Round 4 vs. Armenia, 3-1

Kazakhstan's 3-1 victory against Armenia could have easily been a draw, or worse, for the Kazakh team. While GM Bibisara Assaubayeva had wrested the advantage from IM Lilit Mkrtchian rapidly, Assaubayeva blundered severely with 33...Nxg3??, allowing the winning 34. Rg1. Following Mkrtchian's 34. Rd2 instead, and after WGM Mariam Mkrtchyan failed to convert her advantage against IM Alua Nurman, the Kazakh team could breathe a sigh of relief, especially with WIM Elnaz Kaliakhmet's win against WIM Susanna Gaboyan.

Round 5 vs. Germany, 2.5-1.5

Kazakhstan's match against Germany definitely kept both teams on the edge of their seats as two quick draws on the top boards (game 1 & 2), with game 2 seeing IM Alua Nurman repeat from a stronger position, meant that all eyes were on board 4's result after IM Meruert Kamalidenova won a quick game against WGM Hanna Marie Klek.

WIM Elnaz Kaliakhmet maanged to hold against FM Jana Schneider in what was an extremely tense ordeal.

Round 6 vs. Azerbaijan, 2.5-1.5

Once again, the winning score did not tell the whole story. Indeed, GM Bibisara Assaubayeva's position against WGM Govhar Beydullayeva was nearing collapse, but opening preparation does not win games, and Beydullayeva was content with repeating moves before move 30. With IM Alua Nurman winning her game against IM Gunay Mammadzada, the pressure was off WIM Zarina Nurgaliyeva, who missed a couple of winning shots against IM Gulnar Mammadova.

#3: India

Round 4 vs. Mongolia, 3-1

Board 1 saw WIM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul trade blows with GM Humpy Koneru: first, Humpy had a near winning advantage, then, after failing to find a typical exchange sacrifice on move 35 with 35...Rb3, Humpy lost control of the game and was significantly worse. The opposite-colored bishop + knight endgame was not easy to convert, though, and a peaceful result was soon signed. Meanwhile, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu failed to convert her advantage against WGM Turmunkh Munkhzul, but GM Divya Deshmukh and IM Savitha Shri B did (games 3 & 4).

Content team member, streamer, and coach WFM Yilin Li caught up with IM Savitha Shri B after her win:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQPP9NC2eHM

Round 5 vs. Poland, 1.5-2.5

India's match against Poland saw three rather staid draws (games 1, 3, and 4), so the entire match hinged on IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya's game against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. The Indian team seemd to be on pace to at least draw the match, perhaps even win it, considering the solidity of the position and Vaishali's piece activity. Matters quickly got out of hand, though, as Maltsevskaya's king climbed up the board and so too did her pawn. Maltsevskaya's rook was then uncontrollable, gobbling up Vaishali's pawns and, eventually, helping Maltsevskaya deal the final blow of the game with 57. Rf6!.

Round 6 vs. the United States of America, 3-1

The top two boards saw rather quiet draws (games 1 & 2), but the remaining two games were anything but calm. On board 4, IM Savitha Shri B surprised IM Rose Atwell with the stunning and extremely rare 3...Nd7 against the Queen's Gambit, eventually transposing into a Catalan-esque position where Savitha clearly understood the piece play better.

On board 3, GM Irina Krush had to defend a pawn-down rook endgame against IM Vantika Agrawal, and with no hopes of winning the match, Krush quickly crumbled.

Other Leaders & Results

• Germany won 2.5-1.5 against Romania, with FM Lara Schulze supplying the match victory with a win against WIM Andreea-Marioara Cosman.
• Bulgaria is in 4th place after receiving a forfeit win from the Israeli team, who did not play because of religious observance of Yom Kippur.
• Switzerland won 3-1 against Italy, bringing Switzerland up to 6th place.
• Armenia is in 7th place after a 3-1 win against Latvia.

The Biggest Upsets

Round 4

WFM Anjum Noshin (2028) of Bangladesh won against IM Eva Repkova (2316) of Slovakia in what was a very clean game from start to finish.

More upsets:

• Alba Pllana (1470) of Kosovo defeated WCM Atlang Amolemo Mosweu (1774) of Botswana (game).
• WFM Leah Rice (1884) of Singapore won against WFM Maria Tsakona (2135) of Greece (game).
• WFM Chiara Polterauer (2083) of Austria drew against IM Lela Javakhishvili (2424) of Georgia (game).
• Michid Jargalsaikhan (1921) of South Korea drew against WGM Anna Wagener (2160) of Luxembourg (game).

Round 5

Camila Mejia (1608) of Honduras played a back-and-forth game against Bangladesh's WCM Walijah Ahmed (1949), ultimately prevailing after the former won a pawn due to a defensive tactic.

Mahri Agamuradova (1939) of Turkmenistan defended well against Argentinian WIM Anna Laura Scarsi's (2212) threats, creating a counterattack with careful exploitation of Scarsi's overextended position.

An other upset:

• WIM Diajeng Theresa Singgih (2280), who already has had a good result for her team, won against her first GM in classical, GM Nana Dzagnidze (2478) of Georgia (game).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvvKFg9ilW4

Round 6

Rocio Contreras Suazo (1875) of Chile defeated WIM Svetlana Sucikova (2166) of Slovakia in a well-played opposite-sides castling French Defense game.

Additional upsets:

• Danwe Maissiri Carole (1400) of Cameroon won against WCM Carmina Jasmine Ramas (1783) of Guam (game).
• Maria Belen Carvajal Mendoza (1824) of Chile drew against WFM Ema Walter (2105) of Slovakia (game).
• Akissi Victoire Sinchie Ayemou (1584) of Cote d'Ivoire drew against WFM Mary Loly Gonzalez Peguero (1905) of the Dominican Republic (game).
• WCM Jailos Rachel (1566) of Malawi drew against WFM Catherine Kaslan (1866) of Suriname (game).

Round 7 Pairings