Three rounds before the finish of the Samarkand Olympiad, what everyone was waiting for happened: Germany stopped the sole leader. Uzbekistan, winners of seven straight matches, lost to the Germans 1½-2½ — and now two teams share the top of the table. The race for the gold medals is wide open again.
Germany are the protagonist of this event: in round five the Germans beat the USA, and now they stopped Uzbekistan. The hosts led the match but faded at the finish — 1½-2½. For Armenia the day passed without match losses: the team keeps fighting in the upper half of the table, keeping medal chances alive over the remaining three rounds.
The standings after eight rounds: Uzbekistan and Germany on 14 match points each, followed by a dense chasing group. Armenia are on 13 points after the draw with the USA. The remaining three rounds will decide everything: at chess Olympiads the finish is traditionally the toughest, because the leaders play each other.
| Round-eight match | Result |
|---|---|
| Germany — Uzbekistan | 2½-1½ (upset of the round) |
| Leaders’ standings | Uzbekistan and Germany — 14 points each |
| Armenia’s position | 13 points, upper half of the table |
What's next. Round nine comes as early as today, 26 September. We are following the final stretch.
Sources
- ChessBase, accessed 25.09.2026
- Chess.com, accessed 25.09.2026
- Chess-Results, accessed 25.09.2026
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