India defeats Thailand in Chess Olympiad opener despite Arjun Erigaisi upset

India opened its title defense at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand with a match win, despite top-board player Arjun Erigaisi suffering an upset loss to Thailand's IM Prin Laohawirapap.

Erigaisi lost to an opponent rated nearly 400 points lower after blundering in the endgame, but wins from Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi secured the men's team victory.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Indian women's team achieved a comfortable 4.0-0.0 clean sweep against the Dominican Republic with quick wins by R Vaishali, Koneru Humpy, and Savitha Shri B.