New Delhi: India’s remarkable run of overall dominance at the Chess Olympiad continued in Samarkand on Sunday, as the country secured the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the third consecutive edition.
India finished as the best-performing nation across the Open and Women’s competitions after the 11-round event. The overall triumph came despite the Indian teams being unable to retain their respective titles, with the Open team taking silver and the Women’s team finishing with bronze.
The latest achievement follows India’s previous Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy victories at the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai and the 2024 edition in Budapest, where India completed a historic double-gold campaign, according to reports.
In the Open competition, hosts Uzbekistan emerged champions after repeating their success from 2022. India finished second following a 2-2 draw with Hungary in the final round.
India and Germany both ended the competition with 18 match points and 28.5 game points. India secured the silver medal through its head-to-head victory over Germany, leaving the German team with bronze.
The Women’s event saw China seal the gold medal with a round remaining, while Kazakhstan finished second. India took bronze after a 2-2 draw against Georgia in the final round.
Koneru Humpy delivered a win on the top board for India, while teenager Savitha Shri B produced an important defensive draw to help the team secure its place on the podium.
