With seven out of seven match wins, Uzbekistan continues to dominate the 46th Chess Olympiad 2026, with their latest victory against China 3-1 after wins by the Nodirbeks; GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated GM Ding Liren and GM Nodirbek Yakubboev beat GM Yu Yangyi. There are five chasing teams on 12/14: the Netherlands, India, Germany, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
China and Kazakhstan scored a win apiece in a 2-2 tie that saw the last two perfect records go in the 2026 FIDE Women’s Chess Olympiad. That allowed five teams to move within a single point: top seed India, who beat Germany 3.5-0.5, second seed Georgia, who beat Poland 2.5-1.5, and three teams that pulled off upsets. Bulgaria, Armenia, and Mongolia overcame Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and France respectively. USA now find themselves only two points off the lead after a 3-1 win over Switzerland, with IM Carissa Yip beating GM Alexandra Kosteniuk on top board.
Round eight is on Thursday, September 24, starting at 6:15 a.m. ET / 12:15 CEST / 3:45 p.m. IST.
Open: Nodirbeks Score For Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan continues its winning streak after defeating their closest rival, China, in round seven.
Round 7 Results | Open Top 10
Uzbekistan leads by a full two match points, so even if they lose one match, they will still share the lead.
Open Standings After Round 7: Top 20
| # | Seed | Fed | Team | Matches | + | = | – | Points | TB1 | TB2 |
| 1 | 3 | Uzbekistan | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 190 | 22.5 | |
| 2 | 6 | Netherlands | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 163.5 | 19.5 | |
| 3 | 2 | India | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 159 | 18.5 | |
| 4 | 5 | Germany | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 155 | 19 | |
| 5 | 7 | Azerbaijan | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 153 | 20 | |
| 6 | 10 | Armenia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 147 | 19 | |
| 7 | 4 | China | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 172 | 19.5 | |
| 8 | 9 | France | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 152.5 | 19.5 | |
| 9 | 18 | Iran | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 148 | 20.5 | |
| 10 | 15 | Serbia | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 140 | 18.5 | |
| 11 | 16 | Poland | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 137.5 | 19.5 | |
| 12 | 20 | Czech Republic | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 137.5 | 19 | |
| 13 | 1 | United States of America | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 137 | 18 | |
| 14 | 30 | Uzbekistan 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 137 | 18 | |
| 15 | 8 | Hungary | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 110 | 14.5 | |
| 16 | 23 | Romania | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 160 | 19.5 | |
| 17 | 13 | Spain | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 145.5 | 19 | |
| 18 | 19 | Greece | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 139 | 18.5 | |
| 19 | 14 | Turkiye | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 138 | 18.5 | |
| 20 | 11 | England | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 137 | 18 |
GM Rafael Leitao‘s analysis of the Game of the Day will be added soon.
Women: No Team Perfect As Medal Battle Heats Up
Except for the battle of the leaders, almost all the remaining matches at the top were decisive in round seven.
We still have two leaders at the top, but their tie has allowed the chasing pack to move closer, with two points separating the top 11 teams.
Women’s Standings After Round 7: Top 20
| # | Seed | Fed | Team | Matches | + | = | – | Points | TB1 | TB1 |
| 1 | 4 | China | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 187 | 22.5 | |
| 2 | 3 | Kazakhstan | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 167.5 | 20.5 | |
| 3 | 1 | India | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 185,5 | 22 | |
| 4 | 11 | Bulgaria | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 172 | 22 | |
| 5 | 2 | Georgia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 162.5 | 20.5 | |
| 6 | 16 | Armenia | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 156 | 20 | |
| 7 | 15 | Mongolia | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 145 | 19 | |
| 8 | 5 | United States of America | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 166 | 21 | |
| 9 | 13 | Uzbekistan | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 151.5 | 20 | |
| 10 | 12 | Netherlands | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 148 | 20 | |
| 11 | 24 | Greece | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 124 | 18.5 | |
| 12 | 20 | England | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 150 | 21.5 | |
| 13 | 8 | France | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 148 | 20.5 | |
| 14 | 7 | Azerbaijan | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 144.5 | 19 | |
| 15 | 9 | Poland | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 143.5 | 18.5 | |
| 16 | 17 | Switzerland | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 143 | 19 | |
| 17 | 10 | Germany | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 142.5 | 17 | |
| 18 | 14 | Serbia | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 140 | 19 | |
| 19 | 30 | Iran | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 138 | 19 | |
| 20 | 39 | Peru | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 137 | 19.5 |
Colin McGourty contributed to this report.
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad is a massive team event for national federations that takes place every two years. In 2026 it’s being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with 11 rounds that run September 16-27. In Open and Women’s sections, teams of five players compete in a Swiss system, with each match played over four boards. There are two match points for a win and one for a draw, with board points taken into account only if teams are tied. Players have 90 minutes per game, plus 30 minutes from move 40, with a 30-second increment per move.
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