India’s hopes in the Chess Olympiad are dented after Uzbekistan defeat the hosts in Round 6 in Samarkand, with a decisive moment involving Nihal Sarin. Reports say Sarin allows a winning position to slip and loses his queen after a tactical oversight, enabling Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev to capture the queen “for free.”
With India’s other boards not converting—Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh are reported to draw—the result leaves India narrowly down, 2.5–1.5. While the men’s team falls short in this matchup, the women’s team responds with a 3–1 victory over the United States after a prior-round loss to Poland.
Overall, sources highlight the same turning point in the men’s game: Sarin’s queen loss in the sixth round, which determines the outcome, while the women’s team records a separate win in the same round. The accounts largely focus on how the match unfolded across boards rather than broader tournament consequences.
