D Gukesh and Savitha Shri (Photos/FIDE) NEW DELHI: India had a smooth sail in the open section of the 2026 Chess Olympiad until their Round 6 game against hosts Uzbekistan in Samark and. We all know what happened there.

With the other three boards drawn, Nihal Sarin had an advantage against Nodirbek Yakubboev, only to blunder his queen, the match slipped from India's grip, handing Uzbekistan the lead in the title race. While Sarin's blunder dominated the post-match discussion in chess circles, some also asked whether world champion Dommaraju Gukesh could have pushed his own game a little further instead of settling for a draw.

Vidit Gujrathi, briefly joining ChessBase India's commentary panel on his rest day, brushed the suggestion aside. " Gukesh plays his own game," he said.

" If he feels there is a chance, he pushes till the very end." India needed exactly that in the Round 8 match-up against Azerbaijan's Mahammad Muradli.

With the other three boards ending in draws, Gukesh needed a win to settle the match and keep India's title defence alive, a defence that had looked bleak even a day earlier. As Germany beat Uzbekistan at the other end of the hall on Thursday, a win for Gukesh would have put India within touching distance of the new leaders.

He pushed for one, right until the position simplified into a draw he couldn't avoid. Playing white in a Najdorf Sicilian, Gukesh went for the ambitious 7.

h6 and some active queen manoeuvres. Both sides simplified quickly in the early middlegame, with 16.

Bxc4 Qxc4 17. Qd3 Qxd3 leading into a queenless position.

b5, while Muradli locked down the centre and activated his king in response. The game turned into a fierce time-pressure battle from there.

By move 35, both players had under two minutes each, but Gukesh kept the position balanced. Rb2+, forced Gukesh's king into a repeating sequence, and neither side could make further progress.

Rb2+, a resilient defensive display from Muradli against sustained pressure from the world champion. As things stand, Uzbekistan and Germany lead the standings with 14 points apiece.

A chasing pack on 13 includes China, Azerbaijan, the United States, India, Armenia and France, with all hoping for further slip-ups at the top that they can pounce on. Savitha Shri saves Indian women's day againSavitha Shri's dominant run on Board 4 continued into Thursday, stretching her winning streak to seven as India's women held Kazakhstan to a 2-2 draw.