Pragg, Gukesh, Nihal power India to 3.5–0.5 sweep over Uzbek 2 to stay in gold hunt

Pragg, Gukesh, Nihal power India to 3.5-0.5 sweep over Uzbek 2 to stay in gold hunt Had it not been for another squandered opportunity by Arjun Erigaisi against Abdimalik Abdisalimov, India would have completed a clean 4-0 sweep.

Key points

• India decimated Uzbekistan in Round 10 of the ongoing 2026 Chess Olympiad, albeit their second-string side in Samarkand on Saturday.
• 2 min read New Delhi Sep 26, 2026 11: 30 PM IST.
• Gukesh, Pragg & Nihal won their respective games to offer India a 3.5-0.5 win over Uzbekistan B.
• On the top board, Pragg engaged in a protracted battle with Jakhongir Vakhidov, but the Uzbek Grandmaster could only delay the inevitable before crumbling.
• Nihal was the first to put his name on the scoresheet, comfortably dispatching Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov.

Gukesh, Pragg & Nihal won their respective games to offer India a 3.5-0.5 win over Uzbekistan B. (Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE).

India decimated Uzbekistan in Round 10 of the ongoing 2026 Chess Olympiad, albeit their second-string side in Samarkand on Saturday. Clinical wins from R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, and D Gukesh powered the team to a commanding 3.5-0.5 rout over Uzbekistan 2, consolidating their hold on sole second place right behind Uzbekistan's senior team.

Nihal was the first to put his name on the scoresheet, comfortably dispatching Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov. On Board 4, defending world champion Gukesh continued his imperious run. He outwitted Ortik Nigmatov to notch his seventh victory of the tournament, moving to a staggering 8.5/10.

In short, pragg, Gukesh, Nihal power India to 3.5-0.5 sweep over Uzbek 2 to is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.