Chess · Worth knowing

Uzbekistan won the record-breaking Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, defeating Ukraine in the final round with 20 of 22 possible match points. The home victory marked Uzbekistan's second Olympiad title after winning in Chennai in 2022. Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov completed the tournament without losing a game on the first board, while Javokhir Sindarov, who will challenge India's Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title in Geneva later this year, emphasized that Uzbekistan "played the tournament at the highest level." Germany claimed its first Open team medal since 2000 with bronze, and German grandmaster Vincent Keymer called it the best Olympiad his team has had in recent years. In the women's competition, China won gold with Kazakhstan taking silver and defending champion India earning bronze.

Uzbekistan won the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, claiming its second title after defeating Ukraine in the final round with 20 of 22 possible match points. Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov completed the tournament without losing a game on the first board, while Javokhir Sindarov, who won the Candidates Tournament, will challenge India's Gukesh Dommaraju for the world championship in Geneva in November-December—a matchup that will feature the youngest players ever to contest the title at age 20. India took silver and Germany claimed bronze in what was the largest Olympiad in history with nearly 400 teams competing, while China won the women's competition ahead of Kazakhstan and defending champion India.

At the 1994 Linares super tournament, 18-year-old Judit Polgar faced world number one Garry Kasparov in round 5. During the game, a controversial touch-move incident occurred when Kasparov picked up his knight from d7, placed it on c5, then immediately grabbed it back after spotting a tactical problem, claiming he hadn't released it. Polgar protested but had no proof and continued playing, eventually losing the game in 46 moves. Camera footage later confirmed Kasparov had briefly released the knight, prompting Polgar to confront him after the tournament. The two didn't speak for three years, though they later reconciled and became friends. Both have recently discussed the incident in the Netflix documentary "The Queen of Chess," which chronicles Polgar's career and her eventual victories against Kasparov after 14 confrontations.