Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 13 November 2026 — Russia defeated India 3–1 on Thursday evening to take the outright lead in the men’s Asian Nations Chess Cup 2026. India had started the day with a 3½–½ win over Kazakhstan, but Russia ended the top seed’s winning streak in the second of two rounds played on 12 November at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort. The women’s section had a scheduled rest day.
Round 3 — India takes the morning lead
GMs Pranav V, Pranesh M and Aravindh Chithambaram won on boards two through four against Kazakhstan, while GM Nihal Sarin drew with GM Denis Makhnev on board one. The 3½–½ victory gave India six match points and the sole lead. All four boards were drawn in the 2–2 match between China and Russia.
Mongolia beat Uzbekistan 2½–1½. United Arab Emirates 1 defeated Syria 3½–½, Malaysia beat Nepal by the same margin, and Lebanon edged Pakistan 2½–1½.
| Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|
 India |
3½–½ |  Kazakhstan |
 China |
2–2 |  Russia |
 Mongolia |
2½–1½ |  Uzbekistan |
 United Arab Emirates 1 |
3½–½ |  Syria |
 Nepal |
½–3½ |  Malaysia |
 Sri Lanka |
3–1 |  New Zealand |
 Pakistan |
1½–2½ |  Lebanon |
| United Arab Emirates 2 |
2½–1½ |  Palestine |
 Oman |
2–2 |  Bahrain |
 Hong Kong, China |
1–3 | United Arab Emirates 3 |
Round 4 — Russia moves ahead
GM Andrey Esipenko beat Nihal Sarin on board one and GM Aleksey Grebnev defeated Pranesh M on board three. The other two games were drawn, giving Russia a 3–1 win over India and seven match points.
Malaysia followed its morning win with a 2½–1½ victory over Sri Lanka and climbed to second on board points. Kazakhstan bounced back with a 3½–½ win over United Arab Emirates 1. Mongolia drew 2–2 with China after IM Sumiya Chinguun’s board-three win balanced GM Xiao Tong’s victory on board one. Lebanon secured its second win of the day, beating United Arab Emirates 2 by 3–1, while Uzbekistan swept Pakistan 4–0.
| Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Russia |
3–1 | India |
| Mongolia |
2–2 | China |
| Kazakhstan |
3½–½ | United Arab Emirates 1 |
| Malaysia |
2½–1½ | Sri Lanka |
| Lebanon |
3–1 | United Arab Emirates 2 |
| Syria |
2½–1½ | Nepal |
| Uzbekistan |
4–0 | Pakistan |
| New Zealand |
3–1 | Bahrain |
| United Arab Emirates 3 |
1½–2½ | Oman |
| Palestine |
2½–1½ | Hong Kong, China |
Standings after four rounds
Russia leads with seven match points and 12 board points. Six teams are one match point behind, in the following published order: Malaysia (11½ board points), India (11), Kazakhstan (11), China (10½), Mongolia (10½) and Lebanon (8½).
Next rounds and coverage
Men’s Round 5 and women’s Round 3 are scheduled for Friday, 13 November, at 15:00 Abu Dhabi time (UTC+4).
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