Olympiad: Humpy downs 'Greek Goddess' Tsolakidou; Gukesh back above 2700
Koneru Humpy avenged her recent Global Chess League setbacks against Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou, helping India’s women extend their unbeaten run at the Chess Olympiad. In the open section, Gukesh returned to winning ways against Italy’s Sabino Brunello after slipping below 2700. India won the open tie 3-1, while both teams continued their strong starts to the tournament.
On Friday, the Indian women's chess team, undefeated so far in the 2026 Chess Olympiad, faced Greece in Round 3. While India, top seeds, were expected to win, the game between Koneru Humpy and Stavroula Tsolakidou, Greece's champion of the recent Global Chess League (GCL), turned into a closely watched match. Tsolakidou, who suffered her first loss against Humpy during the GCL, used a folder titled "Prep for the Greek Goddess!" given by her coach to beat Humpy with black pieces.
With a positive score over India, coupled with the results on other boards, Ganges Grandmasters claimed the GCL title, and Tsolakidou was named the Player of the Tournament. In the classical format of the Indian team's game, Humpy, with white, employed a Nimzo-Indian structure and gradually built pressure, eventually winning the game.
Meanwhile, world champion Gukesh rebounded from a rating dip, securing a win against Italy's Sabino Brunello on the open board.
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