46th Chess Olympiad R2: India Open Team Get Past Indonesia, Women Beat Finland

by Rasika Ratnaparkhi - 18/09/2026

Day 2 was a far tougher outing for India than the opener. The Open team needed a dramatic escape to beat Indonesia 2.5-1.5, while World Champion D Gukesh saw his live rating drop below 2700 after being held to a draw. The Women’s team had a smoother time of it, beating Finland 3.5-0.5. Both teams remain unbeaten after two rounds and will look to carry that momentum into the next round. Check out the full report.

Photo: Michal Walusza

Open Section: India vs. Indonesia (2.5-1.5)

R Praggnanandhaa entered the arena as Arjun Erigaisi took a rest for Round 2. Pragg played on the top board, followed by Nihal Sarin on Board 2, D Gukesh on Board 3, and Vidit Gujrathi on Board 4.

Board 1: Susanto Megaranto vs. Praggnanandhaa (½-½)

Playing Black, Praggnanandhaa had a long game but could not find a way to push for a win. The game eventually ended in a draw. Indonesia really put up a strong fight across all four boards.

Back at the Olympiad board. | Photo: Himank Ghosh

Board 2: Nihal Sarin vs. Arif Abdul Hafiz (1-0)

This was the game of the match, and not for the reasons India would have wanted at first! Nihal was in serious trouble at one point, with Black having a position that looked winning. But finding the right moves over the board proved much harder than it looked on the engine.

Position after 24...O-O-O

White got some relief after Black's long castle, as it helped neutralise the position and later gave Black more problems to deal with. After 28.Rxc6, Black’s king was left exposed, and Nihal managed to turn things around.

Nihal found a brilliant move here: 28. Rxc6!

Whoa whoa whoa… Whoa-t a save, Nihal! | Photo: Himank Ghosh

Board 3: Satria Duta Cahaya vs. D Gukesh (½-½)

The World Champion was held to a draw by Indonesia’s 18-year-old Satria Duta Cahaya. The result also saw Gukesh’s live rating drop below 2700 for the first time in four years, after he crossed the mark in 2022. It was not the result India would have wanted from their World Champion.

A tough day at the board for Gukesh. | Photo: Michal Walusza

Board 4: Vidit Gujrathi vs. Nayaka Budhidharma (½-½)

Vidit, with the White pieces, was also unable to find a breakthrough against Indonesia’s fourth board and the game ended in a draw. Indonesia put up a solid fight, holding India to draws on three boards!

Ranking list after Round 2

Check the full ranking list here.

In Round 3, the Indian Open team will face Italy.

Women's Section: India vs. Finland (3.5-0.5)

Koneru Humpy was rested for Round 2, which saw Vaishali move up to the top board. Divya Deshmukh joined the lineup on Board 2, with Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B on Boards 3 and 4.

Board 1: R Vaishali vs. Anastasia Keinänen (½-½)

Vaishali played with the Black pieces against Finnish women’s champion Anastasia Keinänen. She tried to create chances, but Keinänen defended well and Vaishali could not make a breakthrough. The game stayed fairly even throughout, and the two players eventually agreed to a draw.

Board 2: Divya Deshmukh vs. Johanna Paasikangas-Tella (1-0)

Divya Deshmukh played her first game of the Olympiad against Finland’s Johanna. Playing White, Divya took advantage of several inaccuracies by her opponent and slowly built up her position. She stayed in control and went on to win the game.

A winning return to the Olympiad! | Photo: Himank Ghosh

Board 3: Sara-Olivia Sippola vs. Vantika Agrawal (0-1)

Vantika Agrawal followed up her hard-fought Round 1 win with a much smoother victory. She took advantage of her opponent’s 18.Be3? blunder and quickly took control of the game.

18. Be3 is a blunder. Can you find a better move?

She converted her advantage in just 22 moves to score another win.

Vantika keeps finding a way! | Photo: Himank Ghosh

Board 4: Savitha Shri B vs. Helja Lehtinen (1-0)

After winning her debut game yesterday, Savitha played Lehtinen with the White pieces. Lehtinen made several inaccuracies, which gave Savitha a chance to build a big positional and material advantage. From there, Savitha had little trouble finishing the game.