Reigning world classical chess champion

Reigning World Classical Chess Champion: Reigning World Classical Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh secured a clutch win to help India beat overnight joint-topper Germany 2.5-1.5 in the ninth round of the Open section of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, moving up to second position in the standings.

With this win, India roared back into title contention as they are in good position to challenge table toppers Uzbekistan for the title.

In the crucial clash on table 2, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin were held to draws on the first three boards before Gukesh secured the lone victory of the match against Germany as India moved to 15 points, sharing the second spot with Uzbekistan 2 and Armenia. The main team of hosts Uzbekistan, who defeated top-seeded United States in the ninth round, lead the standings with 16 points.