The Indian women’s team at the 2026 Chess Olympiad is showing no signs of slowing down. On Saturday, the defending champions dispatched Mongolia 3.0-1.0 in Samarkand, extending their unbeaten run to four matches.

It was the lower boards, Divya Deshmukh and Savitha Shri B, who pushed the side over the finishing line with wins on Board 3 and Board 4 respectively. Divya brushed aside WCM Khishigbaatar Bayasgalan with black pieces, whereas Savitha defeated IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul with white.

Veteran Indian Koneru Humpy avoided a big mishap, sustaining pressure from Woman International Master (WIM) Bat-Erdene Mungunzul on the top board before managing half a point from the clash.

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World Championship challenger R Vaishali will rue her missed chances against Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Turmunkh Munkhzul, as she too ended her game with a draw.

Unlike the men’s team, which started slow, the women’s team has been firing on all cylinders. The 3-1 win over Mongolia was the first occasion the women’s side allowed any team to take a full point against it in four rounds.

Divya exudes the confidence the team is showing. Asked if India can repeat the feat of Budapest, she said: “I think for sure. We’re the top seeds, so we will be looking forward to defending our title. It’ll be the first for India.”

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“It was our first time that we won in Budapest, and it’ll be a first if we defend it. So, all of us are really trying,” said Divya.

India will face one of their biggest battles yet in the competition against dark horse Poland. Led by 2024 Budapest Olympiad sensation IM Oliwia Kiolbasa on the top board, Poland has been a kryptonite for the Indian women’s team, having beaten them in both the 2022 and 2024 Olympiads.

With Savitha Shri in form, coach Swayams Mishra will need to take a tough call on whether to go with current form or the experience of Vantika Agrawal on the fourth board.