The fifth playing day of the Samarkand Olympiad brought Armenia their first truly heavy opponent — fourth seeds China. The teams parted in peace at 2-2: all four boards ended in draws. The run of four wins came to an end, but the main thing holds — the team still knows no defeats.
Each of the four games deserves its own line: Haik Martirosyan drew former world champion Ding Liren, Robert Hovhannisyan drew Wei Yi, Shant Sargsyan drew Yu Yangyi, and Manuel Petrosyan drew Kong Xiangrui. Not a single win on either side — a rare battle of wills between two teams from the top of the table. The Armenian women, meanwhile, took a 3-1 win over Peru: Mariam Mkrtchyan and Anahit Mkrtchyan won their games, with the other two drawn.
The round was rich elsewhere too. The headline upset: Germany beat the USA 2½-1½, the decisive point coming from Frederik Svane, who defeated Hans Niemann. The hosts keep delighting: Uzbekistan, led by Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, beat Hungary — both leaders won on their boards. India got past the Netherlands 2½-1½. In the women’s tournament Poland overcame India 2½-1½, while the Uzbekistan — USA match finished 2-2.
| Round-five match | Result |
|---|---|
| Armenia — China | 2-2 (all four games drawn) |
| Armenia (women) — Peru | 3-1 (wins by M. and A. Mkrtchyan) |
| Germany — USA | 2½-1½ (Svane beat Niemann) |
| Uzbekistan — Hungary | hosts win (Abdusattorov, Sindarov) |
| Poland (women) — India | 2½-1½ |
What's next. Round six comes as early as today, 21 September. The tournament is approaching its halfway point, and every team point counts.
Sources
- SportNews, accessed 21.09.2026
- FIDE, accessed 21.09.2026
- Chess.com, accessed 21.09.2026
- Chess-Results, accessed 21.09.2026
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