India take silver as Olympiad crown slips away in final-round draw vs Hungary; Uzbekistan claim gold

India secured the prestigious Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand by finishing as the top overall nation. They claimed a silver medal in the Open section and a bronze in the Women's event. This marks India's third consecutive victory in this championship, following their win in Chennai in 2022 and their historic double-gold campaign in Budapest in 2024.

Both Indian teams entered the final round as defending champions, but they could not retain their titles on the final day of competition. In the Open section, Uzbekistan emerged victorious, repeating their success from 2022. India secured the silver medal after a hard-fought 2–2 draw against Hungary. India and Germany were locked in a tie with 18 match points and 28.5 game points, but India claimed the silver due to their head-to-head win over Germany.

In the Women's section, China secured the gold, with Kazakhstan taking the silver and India capturing the bronze after holding Georgia to a 2–2 draw, thanks to the wins of Koneru Humpy and teenager Savitha Shri B. The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, created by FIDE in 1997, is awarded to the country with the best combined performance in both the Open and Women's sections at the Olympiad.

It honors Nona Gaprindashvili, the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and reflects a federation's overall strength and depth.