Uzbekistan captured the open gold medal at the 2026 Chess Olympiad, demonstrating a commanding performance at the biennial international team tournament held in Samarkand last week. The host nation’s victory echoed the dominance once characteristic of Soviet grandmasters, finishing ahead of defending champions India, who took silver, and Germany, which secured a surprise bronze. The heavily favored United States finished fourth.
Uzbekistan maintained control of the standings for nearly the entire event, powered by top-board stars world No. 5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov and world title challenger Javokhir Sindarov. Although the team suffered a lone loss to Germany, they quickly rebounded, delivering a decisive 3.5-0.5 victory over Armenia in the penultimate round.
In recognition of the historic win, the Uzbekistan government awarded each of the five players $200,000, with head coach Rustam Kasimdzhanov receiving an additional $50,000.
Meanwhile, 11-year-old English player Bodhana Sivanandan achieved a remarkable milestone by setting a new world age record during the competition.
Wait, an 11-year-old setting an age record? That’s incredible. Does anyone know what exactly the record is?
Wow, Uzbekistan’s dominance is staggering. That bonus money is huge too—hope they keep this momentum!