Olympiad: Pragg outwits Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri for first win; sister Vaishali loses

 At the 2026 Chess Olympiad, R Praggnanandhaa secured his first win by outplaying Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri in a tense Ruy Lopez, helping India beat the Netherlands 3-1. Gukesh also won, while Erigaisi and Nihal drew. India’s women suffered a narrow 1.5-2.5 loss to Poland, with Vaishali defeated by Aleksandra Maltsevskaya. Poland have now beaten India in three successive Olympiads. At the 2026 Chess Olympiad, R Praggnanandhaa secured his first win by outplaying Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri in a tense Ruy Lopez, helping India beat the Netherlands 3-1. Gukesh also won, while Erigaisi and Nihal drew. India’s women suffered a narrow 1.5-2.5 loss to Poland, with Vaishali defeated by Aleksandra Maltsevskaya. Poland have now beaten India in three successive Olympiads.