46th Chess Olympiad · Samarkand 2026 · Open section
England Open at the 2026 Chess Olympiad
England reach the first rest day unbeaten: four match wins and two draws from six rounds. Seeded 11th, they sit 10th after Round 6 on 10 match points and 16½ game points. The campaign has been built on depth rather than one board carrying the side.
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Squad
Player scores through Round 6
| Player | Rating | G | W | D | L | Score | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke McShane GM | 2598 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 80% |
| Nikita Vitiugov GM | 2666 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 66.7% |
| Daniel Fernandez GM | 2542 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 75% |
| Michael Adams GM | 2598 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 75% |
| Gawain Jones GM | 2633 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2½ | 50% |
Round 1
England 4–0 Monaco
No drama in the scoreline. England beat Monaco 4-0.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Vitiugov Black · 2666 |
Igor Efimov 2263 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 2 | Gawain Jones White · 2633 |
Alexis Cahen 2078 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Luke McShane Black · 2598 |
Damir Levacic 2100 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 4 | Daniel Fernandez White · 2542 |
Patrice Verdier 2009 |
Win | 1-0 |
Board 1 Nikita Vitiugov vs Igor Efimov Win
Nikita Vitiugov already had some pressure, but Igor Efimov's 31.Bb5 turned it into a clear advantage. Bf1 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 2 Gawain Jones vs Alexis Cahen Win
Alexis Cahen was under pressure before 14...b6; that move made the position much harder and Gawain Jones took over. Bb6 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 3 Luke McShane vs Damir Levacic Win
Damir Levacic gave Luke McShane the opening with 30.Nb5. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. f3 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 4 Daniel Fernandez vs Patrice Verdier Win
Patrice Verdier's 30...Qd4+ with 3:48 left was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Daniel Fernandez had a clear advantage. Nxf4 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Open Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Round 2
England 3–1 Tajikistan
England beat Tajikistan 3-1, with two wins and two draws.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Vitiugov White · 2666 |
Mustafokhuja Khusenkhojaev 2404 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 2 | Michael Adams Black · 2598 |
Jaloliddin Ilkhomi 2391 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 3 | Gawain Jones White · 2633 |
Mekhriddin Sharifov 2419 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 4 | Daniel Fernandez Black · 2542 |
Muhammad Khusenkhojaev 2408 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
Board 1 Nikita Vitiugov vs Mustafokhuja Khusenkhojaev Win
Nikita Vitiugov already had some pressure, but Mustafokhuja Khusenkhojaev's 19...c6 turned it into a clear advantage. a4 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Michael Adams vs Jaloliddin Ilkhomi Draw
Not every draw hides a missed win. Michael Adams and Jaloliddin Ilkhomi stayed close throughout, and neither built a sustained advantage.
Board 3 Gawain Jones vs Mekhriddin Sharifov Win
The position was still playable until Mekhriddin Sharifov played 35...e3 with 41 seconds left. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Gawain Jones. Qe7 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Daniel Fernandez vs Muhammad Khusenkhojaev Draw
Very little separated Daniel Fernandez and Muhammad Khusenkhojaev. The position stayed within reach for both players and the point was shared.
Round 3
England 2–2 Lithuania
One win each, two draws. Luke McShane supplied England's full point and Gawain Jones lost the other decisive board.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Vitiugov Black · 2666 |
Titas Stremavicius 2554 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Gawain Jones White · 2633 |
Paulius Pultinevicius 2542 |
Loss | 0-1 |
| 3 | Luke McShane Black · 2598 |
Tomas Laurusas 2536 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 4 | Daniel Fernandez White · 2542 |
Gleb Pidluznij 2410 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
Board 1 Nikita Vitiugov vs Titas Stremavicius Draw
Very little separated Nikita Vitiugov and Titas Stremavicius. The position stayed within reach for both players and the point was shared.
Board 2 Gawain Jones vs Paulius Pultinevicius Loss
Gawain Jones was under pressure before 33.Ng2; that move made the position much harder and Paulius Pultinevicius took over. Qh5 was the tougher defence. A 91-point rating upset.
Board 3 Luke McShane vs Tomas Laurusas Win
Tomas Laurusas's 37.Nf5 was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Luke McShane had a clear advantage. Qb6 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Daniel Fernandez vs Gleb Pidluznij Draw
Gleb Pidluznij needed an escape and got one when Daniel Fernandez played 29.Re7 with 3:59 left. The advantage vanished, and the draw was there from that point. h5 was the better way to keep the pressure on.
Round 4
England 3–1 Singapore
England beat Singapore 3-1, with two wins and two draws.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Vitiugov White · 2666 |
Jingyao Tin 2584 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Michael Adams Black · 2598 |
Jagadeesh Siddharth 2497 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 3 | Luke McShane White · 2598 |
Zi Han Goh 2347 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 4 | Daniel Fernandez Black · 2542 |
Kaushik Ashwath 2303 |
Win | 0-1 |
Board 1 Nikita Vitiugov vs Jingyao Tin Draw
Very little separated Nikita Vitiugov and Jingyao Tin. The position stayed within reach for both players and the point was shared.
Board 2 Michael Adams vs Jagadeesh Siddharth Win
The decisive shift came when Jagadeesh Siddharth played 25.Nf3. Michael Adams took control and did not give it back. e4 was the tougher defence.
Board 3 Luke McShane vs Zi Han Goh Draw
This was the quiet board. Luke McShane and Zi Han Goh never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 4 Daniel Fernandez vs Kaushik Ashwath Win
Kaushik Ashwath was under pressure before 28.Bf3 with 38 seconds left; that move made the position much harder and Daniel Fernandez took over. Bg4 was the tougher defence.
Round 5
England 2½–1½ Georgia
England only needed one decisive board. Luke McShane won it, and three draws completed a 2.5-1.5 victory.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Vitiugov Black · 2666 |
Mikheil Mchedlishvili 2550 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Michael Adams White · 2598 |
Nikolozi Kacharava 2525 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 3 | Gawain Jones Black · 2633 |
Baadur Jobava 2576 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 4 | Luke McShane White · 2598 |
Luka Paichadze 2461 |
Win | 1-0 |
Board 1 Nikita Vitiugov vs Mikheil Mchedlishvili Draw
Not every draw hides a missed win. Nikita Vitiugov and Mikheil Mchedlishvili stayed close throughout, and neither built a sustained advantage.
Board 2 Michael Adams vs Nikolozi Kacharava Draw
This was the quiet board. Michael Adams and Nikolozi Kacharava never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 3 Gawain Jones vs Baadur Jobava Draw
This was the quiet board. Gawain Jones and Baadur Jobava never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 4 Luke McShane vs Luka Paichadze Win
Luka Paichadze gave Luke McShane the opening with 51...f4 with 1:15 left. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. Qf6 was the tougher defence. It was the only decisive board, so it settled the match.
Round 6
England 2–2 France
Nothing between them. Michael Adams won for England, Gawain Jones lost, and the other two boards were drawn.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Vitiugov Black · 2666 |
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2718 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Michael Adams White · 2598 |
Etienne Bacrot 2620 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Gawain Jones Black · 2633 |
MarcAndria Maurizzi 2612 |
Loss | 1-0 |
| 4 | Luke McShane White · 2598 |
Jules Moussard 2602 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
Board 1 Nikita Vitiugov vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Draw
This was the quiet board. Nikita Vitiugov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 2 Michael Adams vs Etienne Bacrot Win
Etienne Bacrot gave Michael Adams the opening with 26...Qc8. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. Qa8 was the tougher defence.
Board 3 Gawain Jones vs MarcAndria Maurizzi Loss
Gawain Jones's 22...Qd7 was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that MarcAndria Maurizzi had a clear advantage. Bxb3 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Luke McShane vs Jules Moussard Draw
Not every draw hides a missed win. Luke McShane and Jules Moussard stayed close throughout, and neither built a sustained advantage.
Sources and method. Match scores, pairings, ratings and standings are taken from Chess-Results. Game commentary is based on the supplied Olympiad PGNs and their embedded engine evaluations. Engine labels are used as evidence for the identified turning points; they are not presented as comments made by the players.