India names its defending champions for Samarkand — with Sarin in, Harikrishna out
World champion Gukesh, Norway Chess winner Praggnanandhaa and Candidates champion Vaishali headline India's title-defence squads for the Chess Olympiad, FIDE's own announcement shows.
Defending champions named for Samarkand: Sarin in, Harikrishna out.
India will send the same core that won historic double gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad back to defend both titles, according to squads announced by FIDE and reported by PTI and TheBridge.
The open team is Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa R, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi, captained again by Srinath Narayanan. Sarin is the only new face, replacing Pentala Harikrishna from the gold-winning 2024 side.
The women's team — Koneru Humpy, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B — has two changes: Humpy and Savitha come in for Harika Dronavalli and Tania Sachdev. Swayams Mishra takes over as captain from Abhijit Kunte.
Praggnanandhaa won the Norway Chess tournament in June. Vaishali became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women's Candidates in April, earning a shot at the Women's World Championship. The event is set for September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; reports differ on the exact opening date, ranging from September 15 to 16.