The third playing day of the Samarkand Olympiad brought the first loud match upsets. Tournament hosts Uzbekistan outplayed Austria 3-1 to make it three wins in a row, with Javokhir Sindarov again leading the team to victory. But the day will be remembered for the lower-seeded teams: Kyrgyzstan, seeded 79th, beat 31st-seeded Brazil 2½-1½, while Singapore (50th) proved stronger than Norway (21st).
The women’s event served up its own surprises: Argentina beat Ukraine and Iran defeated France — both opponents seeded far higher. In the open section the seeded favourites mostly held firm, but the top teams are already losing ground: Norway, without Magnus Carlsen, could not hold the line against Singapore. In the Netherlands’ match it was Anish Giri once again who rescued the team — his game decided the outcome.
After three rounds several teams remain unbeaten, led by the hosts: Uzbekistan have beaten Jamaica, Denmark and Austria by a combined score of 10½-1½. Round four is next, where the favourites will finally meet each other — the table will start to take shape tomorrow. The event runs in Samarkand from 16 to 27 September over 11 rounds, with the third Chess Paralympiad held in parallel.
| Round-three match | Result |
|---|---|
| Uzbekistan — Austria | 3-1 (hosts’ third win) |
| Kyrgyzstan — Brazil | 2½-1½ (upset) |
| Singapore — Norway | upset of the day |
| Women: Argentina — Ukraine | upset |
| Women: Iran — France | upset |
What's next. Round four follows today, 19 September. We are tracking Armenia’s matches and the first head-to-head meetings of the favourites.
Sources
Ararat International Online School
