New Delhi: Defending champions India have named formidable men’s and women’s teams at the FIDE Chess Olympiad, with world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Women’s Candidates winner R Vaishali leading the country to retain all the team titles in Samarkand, Uzbekistan till 27 September.India made history at the 2024 Chess Olympiad by taking the Open and Women’s team gold medals for the first time, and the teams announced show the country’s determination to defend the twin corners well.The men’s team will consist of D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi, with former coach Srinath Narayanan as the captain. Sarin is the only new face on the side that took the Open title in 2024.The women’s team consists of Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B, led by Swayams Mishra. Humpy and Savitha replace two members who won gold medals last year, strengthening an already tough line-up.
The appearance of Praggnanandhaa, the rise of Vaishali inspires hope for India
The Indian team consists of proven professionals and players who are enjoying the latest form.Praggnanandhaa enters the Olympiad with confidence after winning the prestigious Norway Chess tournament in June. The 20-year-old produced one of the best performances of his career, defeating world No.Gukesh, meanwhile, will be keen to regain his form after a disappointing outing at the just-concluded Chennai Grand Masters, where he finished at the bottom of the tournament with two points after losing his seven matches.On the women’s side, Vaishali has emerged as one of India’s brightest stars. Earlier this year, she became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, and earned the right to compete against China’s Ju Wenjun in the Women’s World Championship.Former international Humpy brings experience to the team after missing out on India’s successful 2024 Olympiad campaign, while Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal add depth.
India squads for Chess Olympiad 2026
- Open: D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Vidit Gujrathi
- Captain: Srinath Narayanan
- Women: Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Savitha Shri B
- Captain: Swayams Mishra
Viswanathan Anand he is taking over as interim president of FIDE
In another important development for Indian chess, Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion, has taken over as interim president of FIDE following the temporary ouster of Arkady Dvorkovich.Dvorkovich, who was recently included in the list of sanctions of the European Union related to the war between Russia and Ukraine, announced that he will stop using his powers while protesting the election.According to the FIDE Charter, Anand, who has been Vice-President of the governing body since 2022, will only serve as President until Dvorkovich replaces him.The appointment is another landmark moment for Indian chess, with one of the country’s greatest players leading the game’s world governing body as India prepares to defend all of its Olympiad team titles next month.