Men's Section

On the top board, the Indian team swept Lebanon 4- 0; all players won their games smoothly without any big fights. On the second board, Russia also clean-swept Nepal with dominating wins. The next games are going to be intense as India is facing Uzbekistan and Russia is taking on the host UAE team.

Top seed of the tournament, GM Nihal Sarin, defeated IM Akram Khoder with the white pieces

White to play and win

Black just played Rc2, and now white can finish the game with a tactic (Interference)

GM Pranav Anand defeated CM Joe Assaad

GM Pranesh M won a quick 24-move game against CM Adeimi Michel

GM Aravindh Chithambaram defeated Ferzli Michael

GM Daniil Dubov won his game against Purushottam Silwal

Games in action

India vs. Lebanon (4-0)

And just like that, with smiles, Day 1 ended

Pairings and Results (Men)

Round 1 Results

No.

Team

Res.

:

Res.

Team

1

India

4

:

0

Lebanon

2

Nepal

0

:

4

Russia

3

China

4

:

0

New Zealand

4

United Arab Emirates 2

0

:

4

Kazakhstan

5

Mongolia

4

:

0

Pakistan

6

Palestine

½

:

3½

Uzbekistan

7

United Arab Emirates 1

3

:

1

United Arab Emirates 3

8

Oman

0

:

4

Malaysia

9

Sri Lanka

3

:

1

Bahrain

10

Hong Kong, China

0

:

4

Syria

Details

Round 2 Pairings

No.

Team

Pts.

MP

Res.

:

Res.

MP

Pts.

Team

1

Uzbekistan

3½

2

:

2

4

India

2

Russia

4

2

:

2

3

United Arab Emirates 1

3

Malaysia

4

2

:

2

4

China

4

Kazakhstan

4

2

:

2

3

Sri Lanka

5

Syria

4

2

:

2

4

Mongolia

6

Lebanon

0

0

:

0

½

Palestine

7

United Arab Emirates 3

1

0

:

0

0

Nepal

8

New Zealand

0

0

:

0

0

Oman

9

Bahrain

1

0

:

0

0

United Arab Emirates 2

10

Pakistan

0

0

:

0

0

Hong Kong, China

Details

Replay R1 Men's Games

Women's section

In the Women's section, top seed Russia defeated UAE (A) 4-0. On the second board, Sri Lanka managed to hold 2 draws but lost the match 1-3. The India team defeated New Zealand 3.5-0.5; Kalyani Sirin drew her game, and all other players won their respective games.

Kalyani Sirin drew against Zhang Jasmine Haomo on the top board

WFM Shubhi Gupta managed to outwit her opponent and won a nice rook endgame

White to play

Black just played Kg7. Can you find a way for white to draw the game?

WIM Aamuktha Guntaka won a nice game with the white pieces and gave us an interview after the game
WIM Aamuktha Guntaka is just a 14-year-old, and she is representing India at the Asian Nations Chess Cup 2026. After her 1st game, we caught up with Aamuktha, and she shared how she is feeling playing for India alongside players like Vantika. She also explained how Rapid and Blitz helped her with Classical Chess.

Deekshitha Modipalli won her game smoothly with black pieces

Pairings and Results (Women)

Round 1 Results

No.

Team

Pts.

MP

Res.

:

Res.

MP

Pts.

Team

1

Russia

0

0

4

:

0

0

0

United Arab Emirates A

2

Sri Lanka

0

0

1

:

3

0

0

Kazakhstan

3

India

0

0

3½

:

½

0

0

New Zealand

4

United Arab Emirates B

0

0

0

:

4

0

0

China

5

Uzbekistan

0

0

4

:

0

0

0

Pakistan

6

United Arab Emirates C (Abu Dhabi)

0

0

0

:

4

0

0

Mongolia

Details

Round 2 Pairings

No.

Team

Pts.

MP

Res.

:

Res.

MP

Pts.

Team

1

China

4

2

:

2

4

Russia

2

Kazakhstan

3

2

:

2

4

Uzbekistan

3

Mongolia

4

2

:

2

3½

India

4

United Arab Emirates A

0

0

:

0

0

United Arab Emirates B

5

Pakistan

0

0

:

0

1

Sri Lanka

6

New Zealand

½

0

:

0

0

United Arab Emirates C (Abu Dhabi)

Details

Replay R1 Women's Games

Photos and Videos

Photo GalleryVideo Playlist

The refreshment area is full of delicious food items

Flags!

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Shakhbot Al Nahyan made the ceremonial move and announced the tournament open

Guess the player

Venue: Sheraton Hotel and Resorts, Abu Dhabi

The official venue is Sheraton Abu Dhabi

Games in action
In this video, we traveled from Chennai to Abu Dhabi for the Asian Nations Chess Cup 2026. Check out the travel vlog and venue tour from the Sheraton Hotel and Resorts Abu Dhabi.

Live Coverage

Games, Videos and Much More

Schedule

Playing Field

In the Men's section, 20 teams from all across Asia are participating. India is the top seed in the Men's section, while Russia and China are second and third seeds. In the Women's section, 12 Asian teams are taking part, with Russia as the top seed, Kazakhstan as second, and India as the third seed.

Important Links