46th Chess Olympiad · Samarkand 2026 · Women's section
England Women at the 2026 Chess Olympiad
England began with three straight wins, recovered strongly after the Round 4 defeat to Azerbaijan, and reach the rest day 28th after a narrow loss to Ukraine. Bodhana Sivanandan has been the headline performer at 5/6 without a defeat.
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Squad
Player scores through Round 6
| Player | Rating | G | W | D | L | Score | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodhana Sivanandan FM | 2354 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 83.3% |
| Elmira Mirzoeva WGM | 2181 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 80% |
| Harriet Hunt IM | 2284 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3½ | 87.5% |
| Lan Yao WGM | 2270 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3½ | 70% |
| Jovanka Houska IM | 2297 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1½ | 37.5% |
Round 1
England 4–0 Barbados
Four boards, four wins. England opened with a 4-0 sweep of Barbados.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhana Sivanandan Black · 2354 |
Hannah Wilson 1835 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 2 | Lan Yao White · 2270 |
Chanon Reifer-Belle 1761 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Harriet Hunt Black · 2284 |
Gaybrianna Moore 1634 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 4 | Elmira Mirzoeva White · 2181 |
Kiarra Eversley 1611 |
Win | 1-0 |
Board 1 Bodhana Sivanandan vs Hannah Wilson Win
The position was still playable until Hannah Wilson played 15.e4. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Bodhana Sivanandan. a4 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Women Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 2 Lan Yao vs Chanon Reifer-Belle Win
Chanon Reifer-Belle gave Lan Yao the opening with 44...Qb7. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. Qa7 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Women Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 3 Harriet Hunt vs Gaybrianna Moore Win
Gaybrianna Moore gave Harriet Hunt the opening with 9.Nh7. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. Nf3 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Women Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Board 4 Elmira Mirzoeva vs Kiarra Eversley Win
Elmira Mirzoeva already had some pressure, but Kiarra Eversley's 31...Bb6 with 3:57 left turned it into a clear advantage. Ne6 was the tougher defence.
View in the England Women Lichess study → · Original broadcast game
Round 2
England 3½–½ Nigeria
Three wins and a draw gave England a comfortable 3.5-0.5 win over Nigeria.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhana Sivanandan White · 2354 |
Deborah Ebimobo-ere QUICKPEN 2174 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 2 | Jovanka Houska Black · 2297 |
Michelle Chiamaka NWANKWO 1997 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 3 | Harriet Hunt White · 2284 |
Sandra Osarugue OMORUYI 1919 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 4 | Elmira Mirzoeva Black · 2181 |
Bridget Michael 1925 |
Win | 0-1 |
Board 1 Bodhana Sivanandan vs Deborah Ebimobo-ere QUICKPEN Win
Bodhana Sivanandan already had some pressure, but Deborah Ebimobo-ere QUICKPEN's 21...Rd7 turned it into a clear advantage. Qb7 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Jovanka Houska vs Michelle Chiamaka NWANKWO Draw
This was the chance that got away for Jovanka Houska. After 57...Ra8 with 2:01 left, a clearly better position was back to roughly level. a5 was the better way to keep the pressure on.
Board 3 Harriet Hunt vs Sandra Osarugue OMORUYI Win
Sandra Osarugue OMORUYI was under pressure before 16...f6; that move made the position much harder and Harriet Hunt took over. Bd7 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Elmira Mirzoeva vs Bridget Michael Win
Bridget Michael's 14.Bd2 was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Elmira Mirzoeva had a clear advantage. Qd2 was the tougher defence.
Round 3
England 3–1 Brazil
England beat Brazil 3-1. Three wins outweighed the defeat for Jovanka Houska.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhana Sivanandan Black · 2354 |
Juliana Sayumi Terao 2200 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 2 | Lan Yao White · 2270 |
Julia Alboredo 2197 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Jovanka Houska Black · 2297 |
Kathie Goulart Librelato 2130 |
Loss | 1-0 |
| 4 | Elmira Mirzoeva White · 2181 |
Agatha Hurba Nunes 1931 |
Win | 1-0 |
Board 1 Bodhana Sivanandan vs Juliana Sayumi Terao Win
Juliana Sayumi Terao's 34.Qd3 with 54 seconds left was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Bodhana Sivanandan had a clear advantage. Bxc6 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Lan Yao vs Julia Alboredo Win
The position was still playable until Julia Alboredo played 38...Ra5 with 1:22 left. That was the point it tipped decisively towards Lan Yao. d3 was the tougher defence.
Board 3 Jovanka Houska vs Kathie Goulart Librelato Loss
Jovanka Houska was under pressure before 19...d4; that move made the position much harder and Kathie Goulart Librelato took over. axb5 was the tougher defence. A 167-point rating upset.
Board 4 Elmira Mirzoeva vs Agatha Hurba Nunes Win
Agatha Hurba Nunes's 40...Re4 with 44 seconds left was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Elmira Mirzoeva had a clear advantage. Rd5 was the tougher defence.
Round 4
England 1½–2½ Azerbaijan
Three draws were not enough. Lan Yao lost the only decisive game and Azerbaijan took the match.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhana Sivanandan White · 2354 |
Ulviyya Fataliyeva 2402 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Lan Yao Black · 2270 |
Govhar Beydullayeva 2392 |
Loss | 1-0 |
| 3 | Jovanka Houska White · 2297 |
Khanim Balajayeva 2356 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 4 | Harriet Hunt Black · 2284 |
Gulnar Mammadova 2311 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
Board 1 Bodhana Sivanandan vs Ulviyya Fataliyeva Draw
Very little separated Bodhana Sivanandan and Ulviyya Fataliyeva. The position stayed within reach for both players and the point was shared.
Board 2 Lan Yao vs Govhar Beydullayeva Loss
Lan Yao was under pressure before 18...Qxe6; that move made the position much harder and Govhar Beydullayeva took over. fxe6 was the tougher defence. It was the only decisive board, and it settled the match the other way.
Board 3 Jovanka Houska vs Khanim Balajayeva Draw
Not every draw hides a missed win. Jovanka Houska and Khanim Balajayeva stayed close throughout, and neither built a sustained advantage.
Board 4 Harriet Hunt vs Gulnar Mammadova Draw
Not every draw hides a missed win. Harriet Hunt and Gulnar Mammadova stayed close throughout, and neither built a sustained advantage.
Round 5
England 4–0 Australia
No drama in the scoreline. England beat Australia 4-0.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhana Sivanandan Black · 2354 |
Zhiyuan Shen 2146 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 2 | Lan Yao White · 2270 |
Heather S Richards 2096 |
Win | 1-0 |
| 3 | Harriet Hunt Black · 2284 |
Nguyen Mai Chi Phan 2093 |
Win | 0-1 |
| 4 | Elmira Mirzoeva White · 2181 |
Thu Giang Nguyen 2086 |
Win | 1-0 |
Board 1 Bodhana Sivanandan vs Zhiyuan Shen Win
Zhiyuan Shen's 65.Rc8 with 35 seconds left was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Bodhana Sivanandan had a clear advantage. Ra6 was the tougher defence.
Board 2 Lan Yao vs Heather S Richards Win
This one turned in a move. Heather S Richards had the better position before 29...Qc4; afterwards Lan Yao was winning. Bxc3 was the way to keep the advantage.
Board 3 Harriet Hunt vs Nguyen Mai Chi Phan Win
Nguyen Mai Chi Phan gave Harriet Hunt the opening with 77.Kh1 with 1:10 left. The game had been close; it was not close afterwards. Kh3 was the tougher defence.
Board 4 Elmira Mirzoeva vs Thu Giang Nguyen Win
Thu Giang Nguyen's 27...Qg7 was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Elmira Mirzoeva had a clear advantage. f5 was the tougher defence.
Round 6
England 1½–2½ Ukraine
Three draws were not enough. Elmira Mirzoeva lost the only decisive game and Ukraine took the match.
| Board | England | Opponent | Team result | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhana Sivanandan Black · 2354 |
Anastasiia Hnatyshyn 2463 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 2 | Lan Yao White · 2270 |
Anna Ushenina 2412 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 3 | Jovanka Houska Black · 2297 |
Nataliya Buksa 2390 |
Draw | 1/2-1/2 |
| 4 | Elmira Mirzoeva White · 2181 |
Anastasiya Rakhmangulova 2317 |
Loss | 0-1 |
Board 1 Bodhana Sivanandan vs Anastasiia Hnatyshyn Draw
This was the quiet board. Bodhana Sivanandan and Anastasiia Hnatyshyn never found a sustained edge, and the draw matched the game.
Board 2 Lan Yao vs Anna Ushenina Draw
Anna Ushenina had built the stronger position, but 32...Ra8 with 1:13 left cut the advantage sharply. Lan Yao held from there. Nb8 was the better way to keep the pressure on.
Board 3 Jovanka Houska vs Nataliya Buksa Draw
This was the chance that got away for Jovanka Houska. After 21...Bd6, a clearly better position was back to roughly level. h5 was the better way to keep the pressure on.
Board 4 Elmira Mirzoeva vs Anastasiya Rakhmangulova Loss
Elmira Mirzoeva's 45.b5 was the break in the game. There had been little in it; after that Anastasiya Rakhmangulova had a clear advantage. Kg3 was the tougher defence. It was the only decisive board, and it settled the match the other way.
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.