Olympiad Day 8 Recap: Germany Blow the Open Race Wide Open
By Robby B. · Fri, 25 Sep 2026
Germany stunned Uzbekistan to reopen the Open title race, while China seized the lead in the Women’s section with three rounds remaining.
Germany delivered the headline result of Round 8 in Samarkand, defeating Open-section leaders Uzbekistan 2.5–1.5 and dramatically tightening the race for the medals with only three rounds remaining.The victory, powered by brothers Rasmus and Frederik Svane on the lower boards, brought the chasing teams back into contention and gave the United States and China renewed hope heading into the final stretch.In the Women’s section, China took sole possession of first place after Kazakhstan and India shared the points, while Armenia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan remained firmly in the medal hunt. Germany stun UzbekistanUzbekistan entered the round looking increasingly secure at the top of the Open standings, but Germany produced one of the tournament’s biggest results to stop their momentum.The decisive contributions came from the Svane brothers. Germany scored victories on boards three and four against Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov, enough to overcome Matthias Bluebaum’s loss to Javokhir Sindarov.Sindarov continued his excellent event, remaining unbeaten and moving to 5.5 points from seven games.The final game of the match saw Vincent Keymer press Nodirbek Abdusattorov on board one, but the Uzbek star defended accurately to secure the draw. It was not enough to save the match, however, as Germany completed a 2.5–1.5 victory that reshaped the standings. USA capitalize with dominant winThe United States took full advantage of Uzbekistan’s defeat, cruising to a 3.5–0.5 victory over Serbia.Fabiano Caruana led the way on board one, defeating Alexey Sarana with a sharp tactical attack in a Najdorf Sicilian. Caruana’s 24.Rxg7! broke open the black king and ultimately trapped the queen, giving the American his third victory of the Olympiad while preserving his unbeaten record.With only three rounds remaining, the result pushed the USA back into the thick of the medal race. China recover, India held by AzerbaijanChina also returned to winning ways after their previous-round setback, edging Poland 2.5–1.5.Ding Liren drew Jan-Krzysztof Duda on top board, and draws on boards three and four meant the match came down to board two. Wei Yi once again delivered, defeating Szymon Gumularz with a spectacular tactical finish.Already holding a strong position, Wei played 32…Qxf3!!, sacrificing his queen to clear the path for a dangerous passed h-pawn. The attack proved decisive and gave China the match-winning point.India, meanwhile, were unable to gain ground after drawing 2–2 with Azerbaijan. All four games ended peacefully.Gukesh came closest to breaking the deadlock, creating winning chances against Muradli, but several inaccuracies allowed his opponent to defend and secure the draw. Vidit also returned to the Indian lineup after spending five rounds on the bench. Netherlands and Armenia split the pointsThe Netherlands and Armenia also drew 2–2.Jorden van Foreest defeated Robert Hovhannisyan, handing the Armenian his first loss of the event, but Shant Sargsyan responded by beating Loek van Wely to restore parity.The draw left both teams with work to do as the battle for the leading positions intensified. China move top in the Women’s sectionIn the Women’s Olympiad, China emerged as the round’s biggest beneficiary.Kazakhstan and India drew their high-profile match 2–2, opening the door for China to take the outright lead. India’s Savitha continued her extraordinary form with a seventh consecutive victory, while Vaishali suffered another setback on board two.China then defeated Georgia 2.5–1.5. Three boards were drawn, leaving Zhai Mo’s victory over Lela Javakhishvili on board four as the decisive result.The win lifted China to 15 match points, one ahead of Kazakhstan. Armenia and Mongolia stay in contentionArmenia produced one of the biggest upsets of the Women’s round, defeating the United States 2.5–1.5.Elina Danielian scored the key victory against Irina Krush on board three, helping 16th-seeded Armenia move onto 14 match points.Mongolia joined them after defeating Bulgaria by the same score. Turmunkh Munkhzul supplied the decisive win against Nadya Toncheva, with the other three games ending in draws.Uzbekistan also strengthened their position by beating the Netherlands 3–1, while Greece continued their impressive tournament with a 2.5–1.5 upset of Ukraine. Three rounds to goWith Round 8 complete, both sections remain wide open.Germany’s victory over Uzbekistan transformed the Open race, bringing several of the leading teams back within striking distance. In the Women’s event, China now hold the outright lead, but Kazakhstan, Armenia and Mongolia remain only one match point behind, with Uzbekistan also close enough to challenge.The closing three rounds will decide not only the team medals, but also a host of individual board medals, title norms and direct titles as the Olympiad reaches its decisive stage.