Chess Olympiad 2026: India Begin Open and Women’s Campaign Against Thailand and Dominican Republic

India will begin its campaign at the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 in both the Open and Women’s sections on Wednesday, with the teams set to face Thailand and the Dominican Republic respectively in their opening-round ties.

The opening round will also see India make a couple of notable changes to its line-up. In the Open section, R. Praggnanandhaa, who has been assigned to Board 1, will be rested for the first-round encounter, with Vidit Gujrathi taking his place. In the Women’s section, reserve player B. Savitha Shri will feature instead of Divya Deshmukh.

The changes mean India’s leading players will not all be in action on the opening day, as the teams begin what is expected to be a demanding Olympiad campaign.

India’s Open team has been paired against Thailand in Round 1. The line-up features Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, D. Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi across the four boards. Arjun Erigaisi will have the White pieces against Laohawirapap Prin, while Nihal Sarin will play Black against Kulpruethanon Thanadon. On Board 3, D. Gukesh will have White against Alriyami Faris Rashid. Vidit Gujrathi, stepping in for Praggnanandhaa, will play Black against Khumnorkaew Tupfah.

The decision to rest Praggnanandhaa in the opening round means Vidit takes over the top-board responsibility for India’s first tie. Praggnanandhaa had been assigned Board 1 but will sit out the opening encounter.

India’s Open line-up for Round 1 is therefore:

• Arjun Erigaisi (White) vs Laohawirapap Prin

• Nihal Sarin (Black) vs Kulpruethanon Thanadon

• D. Gukesh (White) vs Alriyami Faris Rashid

• Vidit Gujrathi (Black) vs Khumnorkaew Tupfah

The opening-round tie against Thailand will provide India with its first opportunity to get points on the board and begin its Olympiad campaign.

Women’s Team Starts Against Dominican Republic

The Indian women’s team will open its campaign against the Dominican Republic. Koneru Humpy, R. Vaishali, Vantika Agarwal and B. Savitha Shri will make up India’s Round 1 line-up. Koneru Humpy will play White against Ramirez Luzon Franchesca on Board 1. R. Vaishali, playing Black, will take on De La Rosa Martinez Miguelina. Vantika Agarwal will have the White pieces against Gonzalez Peguero Mary Loly, while B. Savitha Shri will play Black against Nunez Diaz Karla Mya.

Savitha Shri’s inclusion is one of the key changes to India’s opening-round combination. The reserve player comes into the line-up in place of Divya Deshmukh for the first-round tie.

India’s Women’s Round 1 pairings are:

• Koneru Humpy (White) vs Ramirez Luzon Franchesca

• R. Vaishali (Black) vs De La Rosa Martinez Miguelina

• Vantika Agarwal (White) vs Gonzalez Peguero Mary Loly

• B. Savitha Shri (Black) vs Nunez Diaz Karla Mya

The opening round will thus feature a combination of established names and a reserve player getting an early opportunity to contribute to India’s campaign.

The decisions involving Praggnanandhaa and Deshmukh are among the notable talking points from India’s Round 1 selections. Praggnanandhaa, assigned to Board 1 for the Open section, has been rested against Thailand, allowing Vidit Gujrathi to take his place. In the Women’s section, Savitha Shri gets the nod ahead of Divya Deshmukh against the Dominican Republic.

Such changes are possible because teams at the Olympiad have reserves available, allowing captains and team management to rotate players during the long tournament. For India, the first round will therefore begin without two players who had been assigned prominent positions in the original team structure.

Chess fans will be able to follow the action from the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 through the FIDE YouTube channel, which will provide live streaming of the tournament. With India competing in both the Open and Women’s sections, attention will be on how the teams negotiate their opening-round assignments and how the selected players perform across the boards.

The Round 1 encounters against Thailand and the Dominican Republic mark the beginning of India’s 2026 Olympiad campaign. While Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh will be rested for the opening ties, Vidit Gujrathi and Savitha Shri will have the opportunity to make an immediate contribution as India gets its campaign underway.