World chess champion D Gukesh will play on Board 4 for India at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The tournament starts on September 16, 2026, and India enters the event as the defending champion in both the Open and Women’s sections.
The choice has drawn attention because Gukesh played on Board 1 at the last two Olympiads. He also won an individual gold medal on Board 1 at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest. This time, however, team captain and Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan has placed him on the fourth board.
The Indian Open team will have R Praggnanandhaa on Board 1, Arjun Erigaisi on Board 2, Nihal Sarin on Board 3 and Gukesh on Board 4. Vidit Gujrathi will be the reserve player.
Praggnanandhaa gets the top board
Praggnanandhaa will lead India from Board 1. His selection comes after a strong run of results in 2026. He won Norway Chess and later took the title at the Grand Chess Tour Finals.
Arjun Erigaisi will play on Board 2. He was India’s highest-rated player on the August 2026 rating list. Nihal Sarin has received Board 3, while Gukesh will take Board 4.
The order reflects the current ratings and recent form of the Indian players. According to the September 2026 figures cited by Chess.com, Praggnanandhaa has a rating of 2761, Arjun has 2759, Nihal has 2718, Gukesh has 2703 and Vidit has 2697.
India has an average rating of 2735 across its five players. That puts the team among the strongest sides at the Olympiad.
Why Gukesh will not face Sindarov
One major result of the Board 4 choice is that Gukesh will not face Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov in a normal board-to-board clash at the Olympiad.
Sindarov is set to play on Board 2 for the host nation. Gukesh and Sindarov are due to face each other later in the year in the World Chess Championship. The Olympiad could have served as a first major classical game between the two before that match.
However, the board order makes such a meeting impossible unless special team changes create a different board arrangement.
The Olympiad has a rule that allows a player to move up only one board if a higher-board player rests. Because Gukesh starts on Board 4, he can move to Board 3 if one of the three players above him sits out a round. He cannot move directly to Board 2.
If India faces Uzbekistan, there is still a chance for Gukesh to face Uzbekistan’s Mukhiddin Madaminov. Madaminov is a reserve player and can take Board 4 if one of Uzbekistan’s four main players does not play that round.
A change from the last two Olympiads
Gukesh has a strong history at the Chess Olympiad. At the 2024 event in Budapest, he played on Board 1 and produced a major result. He scored 9 points from 10 games and earned an individual gold medal on that board.
India also won the Open gold medal at the 2024 Olympiad. The Indian women’s team also won gold, which gave the country a historic double.
Gukesh had also played on Board 1 at the 2022 Olympiad. His move to Board 4 therefore marks a clear change from his role at the last two editions.
India enters as defending champion
The Indian Open team has kept four players from the gold-medal side of 2024. Nihal replaces Pentala Harikrishna in the five-player group.
India will have to deal with a strong field in Samarkand. The United States has an average rating of 2753, ahead of India at 2735. Uzbekistan has an average of 2720, while China has 2707 and Germany has 2677.
The United States team includes Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Hans Niemann, Levon Aronian and Awonder Liang. Uzbekistan has Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Sindarov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Madaminov.
China has former world champion Ding Liren on Board 1. Ding was the player Gukesh defeated in the 2024 World Championship to become the youngest world champion in chess history.
Gukesh’s Board 4 position also means he will not face Ding in the normal course of the Olympiad, as Ding is set to play on Board 1 for China.
Humpy leads the women’s team
India also has a strong side in the Women’s section. Veteran Grandmaster Koneru Humpy will play on Board 1.
R Vaishali has Board 2, Divya Deshmukh has Board 3 and Vantika Agrawal has Board 4. Savitha Shri is the reserve player.
India has an average rating of 2466 across its five women players. That puts the team first among the listed top teams before the event.
Georgia has an average of 2451, Kazakhstan has 2438, China has 2429 and the United States has 2415.
Vaishali is also set for an important period in her career. She will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship title early next year.
A record field in Samarkand
The 2026 Chess Olympiad has set a new participation record. FIDE has confirmed 400 teams across the two events, with 208 teams in the Open section and 192 in the Women’s section.
The previous record was 380 teams at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest.
The tournament runs from September 15 to September 27 in Samarkand. The first round takes place on September 16.
The event uses an 11-round Swiss system. Teams do not play every other nation. Instead, pairings change after each round based on results and other tournament factors.
Gukesh faces a different challenge
The Board 4 role also comes at a time when Gukesh has faced a difficult period based on his recent rating and results.
Chess.com reported that his rating had fallen to 2703 by the September 2026 list. He had also dropped outside the world’s top 10. His position at Board 4 reflects the current team order, rather than his status as world champion alone.
Srinath has backed Gukesh to find his form at the Olympiad. He said confidence can change very quickly in chess and that a player can turn around a difficult period after only a few good games.
The coach also noted that Gukesh has played many closed invitational events in recent times. The Olympiad offers a different type of test because the field is much wider and includes teams with players across a broad range of ratings.
India looks for another double
India arrives in Samarkand after a historic result in Budapest. The country won both the Open and Women’s gold medals in 2024.
The 2026 teams now have a chance to defend both titles. The Open side has a different board order, with Praggnanandhaa at the top and Gukesh on Board 4. The women’s side has Humpy at the top, with Vaishali, Divya and Vantika behind her.
The first rounds will show how these choices work across the long 11-round event.
A major chess event begins
For Gukesh, the Olympiad will have a different feel from his previous two appearances. He remains India’s world champion, but his place on Board 4 means his role within the team has changed.
Praggnanandhaa will carry the top-board role, while Arjun and Nihal will also have key duties. Gukesh will have his own part to play on the fourth board, with Vidit available as the reserve.
At the same time, Humpy will lead the women’s side as India seeks another double gold.
The 2026 Chess Olympiad begins in Samarkand on September 16. With 208 Open teams and 192 Women’s teams, the event has its largest field yet. For India, the task is clear: defend the two titles won in Budapest, while Gukesh begins a new Olympiad chapter from Board 4.
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