Ukraine scored a sensational victory over China at the 2026 Chess Olympiad

The Ukrainian men’s team scored a sensational victory over China in a match of the 10th round of the 2026 World Chess Olympiad, which is being held in Samarkand.

Ihor Kovalenko was the star of the show. Playing with the white pieces, the Ukrainian defeated former world champion Ding Lijian and earned the team a crucial point.

Roman Degtyarev added another victory to the team’s tally. Playing with black pieces, the Ukrainian defeated Chinese grandmaster Kun Xiangyu. Vasyl Ivanchuk and Ihor Samunenkov drew their games, bringing the final score of the match to 3–1 in Ukraine’s favor. After ten rounds, the Ukrainians had 16 points and were tied on that total with the top-ranked team from Uzbekistan, which had not yet finished its tenth-round match at that time.

Ukraine’s path through the tournament has been uneven. The team started the tournament with three consecutive wins—over Zimbabwe, Estonia, and Slovakia—before suffering its first loss to the United States. The Ukrainians then defeated Montenegro, lost to Bulgaria, and went on to win four straight matches. Before facing China, the Ukrainian national team defeated Indonesia, Belarus, and Georgia in succession.

According to a report citing football24, two games ended in victories for the Ukrainians, while the other two resulted in draws.

Ihor Samunenkov is representing Ukraine at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.