# Indian women top seed, men second for Chess Olympiad

2026-08-06T11:21:46+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

The Indian women's team has been seeded first for the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, with the men's team seeded second behind the United States. India is the defending champion in both sections. Koneru Humpy, who missed the historic gold in Budapest, returns to lead the women's team. She acknowledged that defending the title will be tougher than winning it initially. The women's team also includes Divya Deshmukh, R. Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal and B. Savitha Shri. The men's team features D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi. The Olympiad has attracted a record 400 teams.

## Coverage

- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/sport/chess-olympiad-indian-women-lead-as-top-seed-men-ranked-second/article71312731.ece>
- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/chess-olympiad-humpy-keen-to-make-an-impression-in-indias-title-defence-at-samarkand/article71306492.ece>

Tags: Chess, Chess Olympiad, FIDE, Indian team, Samarkand
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