India decimated Uzbekistan in Round 10 of the ongoing 2026 Chess Olympiad, albeit their second-string side in Samarkand on Saturday. Clinical wins from R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, and D Gukesh powered the team to a commanding 3.5–0.5 rout over Uzbekistan 2, consolidating their hold on sole second place right behind Uzbekistan’s senior team.

Nihal was the first to put his name on the scoresheet, comfortably dispatching Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov. On Board 4, defending world champion Gukesh continued his imperious run. He outwitted Ortik Nigmatov to notch his seventh victory of the tournament, moving to a staggering 8.5/10.

On the top board, Pragg engaged in a protracted battle with Jakhongir Vakhidov, but the Uzbek Grandmaster could only delay the inevitable before crumbling.

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Had it not been for another squandered opportunity by Arjun Erigaisi against Abdimalik Abdisalimov, India would have completed a clean 4–0 sweep. Arjun has now logged six consecutive draws and has just a solitary win under his belt in Samarkand.

It highlights an uncomfortable, common thread plaguing both Indian teams at this Olympiad as the engine room at the bottom is firing, but the top boards are running dry. In the women’s event, Humpy has three wins, while R Vaishali has picked up just one alongside two bruising losses on Board 2. In the Open section, even with Pragg collecting his third win today, India’s top two boards have combined for just four wins out of the team’s 16 individual victories in Samarkand.

Just a single match point separates the gold medallists of the last two Olympiads, setting up what promises to be a tantalising shootout between India and Uzbekistan heading into Sunday’s final round. The hosts cling to the top spot with 17 match points, while India sit breathing down their necks on 16, just ahead of a ruthless chasing pack featuring Ukraine, Germany, and Hungary knotted at 15. Much like the women’s section, defending the crown is no longer in their own hands, and silver looks the most probable outcome.