India won both matches at Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 7, on 23rd September 2026 (Wednesday), beating England 2.5-1.5 in the Open and Germany 3.5-0.5 in the Women’s event. The Open result came with a real dent, though, Nihal Sarin lost to Luke McShane, a player rated over 100 points below him.
Pragg opened the account for India, beating Nikita Vitiugov after Vitiugov’s king ran short of safe squares in the middlegame. The English grandmaster tried to attack down the h-file. Pragg’s pieces broke through on the queenside first, though, and Vitiugov’s own king ran out of safe squares before move 30.
Arjun Erigaisi drew a long, level struggle with Michael Adams, the kind of game where both sides seemed content to bank a point apiece against a well-matched opponent. Gukesh then closed it out, grinding down Daniel Fernandez in a game that started in an advanced variation of French defence. In the game, Fernandez missed several chances to hold a draw under time pressure, and India’s world champion took full control, forcing resignation.
That left Nihal’s board to decide the shape of the day. His game with McShane started in Ruy Lopez opening, and stayed close to level for almost its entire length, neither side ever holding a clear advantage worth the name. On move 62, with a draw well within reach, Nihal played 62…Rb8??, and the position turned sharply in White’s favour. McShane found the follow-up cleanly and did not let go. It is Nihal’s 2nd loss of the Chess Olympiad 2026, and a tough one to take from a position that had given him little reason to worry for 60 moves.
Some fans online have wondered aloud whether Nihal might be rested for a round, after back to back losses. Nothing has been confirmed either way, and results like this happen to even the best players at a long event. Nihal has been one of India’s most reliable performers all year, and there is no reason to think this Chess Olympiad 2026 stumble defines him.
Savitha Shri Keeps Her Fine Run Going
If Nihal’s day was the hard one, Savitha Shri’s was the opposite. She beat Lara Schulze in a long, twisting game that swung through a rook and knight ending, both players erring under pressure before Savitha’s technique told in the end. It is her 2nd win in as many rounds, and she has quietly been one of India’s most consistent players at this Chess Olympiad 2026.
Humpy and Divya Deshmukh also won for India’s Women. Only Vaishali’s game against Elisabeth Paehtz ended level, a long rook ending that petered out after both sides shed most of their material. Divya’s win in particular was a grind, her German opponent’s position slowly came apart over 40 moves after an early miscalculation, and Divya never let the advantage slip.
Standings After Round 7
Uzbekistan remain the sole leader of the Open section on 14 match points, after beating China 3-1. India sit in a 5-team chasing pack 1 point behind, alongside the Netherlands, Germany, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
In the Women’s section at Chess Olympiad 2026, China and Kazakhstan, the tournament’s last 2 unbeaten teams, drew each other. That result pulled 5 teams, India among them, to within a single point of the lead. After a difficult Round 5, India’s Women are firmly back in the gold medal picture heading into the tournament’s 2nd half.
Chess Bharat’s Highlight of the Day: Luke McShane vs Nihal Sarin
The board that decided the closest match of Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 7 deserves a full look.
(Nihal’s match with Black pieces against McShane)
Both teams return to the board for Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 8 in Samarkand on 24th September 2026 (Thursday), and now the tournament now past its halfway point.
Note: Chess Bharat presents results objectively and does not take sides with any player, team, or federation. The Round 7 scores and standings were cross-checked with Chess.com’s round report and the official broadcast games. Each game was also replayed and checked with an engine before publication. The report is reviewed for accuracy before it goes live. If you notice an error, please let us know and we’ll correct it.
