Chess Olympiad 2026 Round 8 Pairings: Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh to face Azerbaijan; Koneru, Vaishali to take on Kazakhstan

India will look to sustain its winning momentum in the ongoing Chess Olympiad. | Photo Credit: FIDE

India will look to continue its winning momentum in Round 8 of the Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

India enjoyed a successful day in Round 7, pipping England 2.5-1.5 in the open section and securing a dominant 3-0 win over Germany in the women’s section.

On Thursday, India will face Azerbaijan in the open section and Kazakhstan in the women’s section. Vidit Gujrathi, after spending a few days resting on the sidelines, will return to action in place of Nihal Sarin.

In the women’s event, India will field the same lineup from Wednesday. Koneru Humpy will face Bibisara Assaubayeva on Board 1.

Round 8 pairings: India Open vs Azerbaijan

Board 1: R. Praggnanandhaa (white) vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Board 2: Arjun Erigaisi (black) vs Aydin Suleymanli

Board 3: D. Gukesh (white) vs Mahammad Muradli

Board 4: Vidit Gujrathi (black) vs Rauf Mamedov

Round 8 pairings: India Women vs Kazakhstan

Board 1: Koneru Humpy (black) vs Bibisara Assaubayeva

Board 2: R. Vaishali Rameshbabu (white) vs Alua Nurman

Board 3: Divya Deshmukh (black) vs Meruert Kamalidenova

Board 4: Savitha Shri B (white) vs Elnaz Kaliakhmet

Published on Sep 24, 2026

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