The national teams of Uzbekistan, India, China, and the United States continued their successful performance in the open section, winning in the third round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad, which is being held in Uzbekistan.
Significant surprises occurred in the women's tournament: Argentina confidently defeated Ukraine, and Iran won against France.
Before the start of the third round in the open section, ceremonial first moves were made by Muzaffar Sataev, advisor to the Chairman of the Asian Bank Supervisory Board, and Hulkar Tokhirjonova, advisor to the President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation. In the women's tournament, Dana Reiznise, current FIDE President and former Minister of Economy and Finance of Latvia, made the first move.
After the arrival of the Central African Republic team in the second round and Angola in the third, the total number of teams reached record levels—205 in the open section and 189 in the women's tournament. Thus, the 2026 Olympiad in Uzbekistan has become the largest in the history of this competition.
Results in the Open Tournament
In the open tournament, Uzbekistan beat Austria with a score of 3:1. Mukhidin Madaminov secured the victory for the first team, followed by Javhohir Sindarov, who added the second point. Madaminov scored 2.5 out of three possible points.
India also won with a score of 3:1, defeating Italy. Nikhal Sarin achieved his third consecutive victory, while World Champion Gukesh D reached 2.5 points out of three.
China confidently defeated Bulgaria with a score of 3.5:0.5. Ding Liren recorded his second victory in the tournament, and Yu Yangyi concluded his game against Kirill Georgiev with an impressive checkmate combination.
After losing to the national team of Uzbekistan with a score of 3:0 in the second round, Germany faced the second team of Uzbekistan this time and won with a score of 2.5:1.5. Vincent Keimer secured the decisive victory on the first board.
The United States defeated Denmark with a slight advantage of 2.5:1.5. Avonder Liang suffered his second consecutive defeat. Hans Niaman and Wesley So remain undefeated, while Fabiano Caruana demonstrated consistent play on the first board.
Azerbaijan beat Switzerland with a score of 3:1, and France defeated Kazakhstan with a score of 3.5:0.5. Matches between Ukraine and Spain, Turkey and Poland, as well as several other teams ended with a score of 3:1.
Women's Tournament
In the women's tournament, the United States achieved a convincing victory over Cuba with a score of 3.5:0.5. Karissa Ip won her game on the first board, and other American players also finished their games without defeat.
India beat Greece with the same result—3.5:0.5. Humpy Koneru defeated Stavroula Tsolakidi. China defeated Turkey with a score of 3:1, with Zhu Jin'er and Sun Shuxin winning on the first two boards.
Uzbekistan, ranked 13th in the seeding, maintained its perfect record. The hosts beat Indonesia with a score of 3:1, winning on the third and fourth boards.
Kazakhstan, the team ranked third in the seeding, beat Slovenia with a score of 3.5:0.5. Bibisara Asaubayeva drew on the first board, while her three teammates won.
One of the biggest surprises of the third round was Ukraine's defeat by Argentina. The team, ranked 28th in the seeding, won with a score of 3.5:0.5. Another unexpected result came from Iran, which beat France, the team ranked eighth in the seeding, with a score of 3:1.
The fourth round will begin on September 19 at 15:00 at the Silk Road EXPO venue in Samarkand. Spectators can follow the games on site, and commentary broadcasts will be available on the FIDE channel on YouTube.