{
  "id": 9072518,
  "title": "Chess Olympiad Round 6: How Nihal Sarin blundered his queen in India’s loss",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/chess-olympiad-round-6-how-nihal-sarin-blundered-his-queen-in-indias",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-22T02:55:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/chess-olympiad-round-6-how-nihal-sarin-blundered-his-queen-and-india-suffered-heartbreaking-loss-to-uzbekistan/articleshow/134400926.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Monday, India's open team faced Uzbekistan, the tournament hosts, in Round 6 of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The match held significant importance as both India and Uzbekistan had previously won the last two Olympiads between them. India led the group standings after five rounds, alongside Germany. Captain Srinath Narayanan fielded the strongest lineup possible, with Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Gukesh on the board. Vidit Gujrathi rested for the day ahead of his upcoming match with World Championship contender Javokhir Sindarov. Despite every other board ending in a draw, Nihal Sarin's game remained a potential winner. However, a critical blunder occurred when Vidit's queen was captured on move 40, swinging the game entirely in favor of Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Yakubboev. This victory marked India's first defeat in the open section of the tournament.",
  "summary": "India lost to Uzbekistan 2.5-1.5 in Round 6 of the Chess Olympiad. Nihal Sarin had a winning position against Nodirbek Yakubboev but blundered, allowing Yakubboev to capture his queen for free, according to the Times of India. The other Indian players, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and D Gukesh, drew their games.\n\nThe match was closely contested, with The Indian Express describing the atmosphere in the playing hall as thick with tension. The outcome was decided by Nihal's loss, as the other boards ended in draws.\n\nIndia's women's team, however, bounced back from their previous-round defeat to Poland, winning 3-1 against the United States.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}