46th Chess Olympiad
| Host city | Samarkand |
|---|---|
| Country | Uzbekistan |
| Dates | 15 September – 27 September 2026 |
| Main venue | Silk Road International Exhibition Centre |
The 46th Chess Olympiad will be an international chess tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan organized by the International Chess Federation.[1][2] It will take place from September 15, 2026 to September 28, 2026,[3] and is expected to have about 200 participating federations.
The tournament will be a total of 11 rounds played in both the Open and Women's events, and each feature four players from one team facing four players from another team, with a reserve board filling in any team absences. Team India are the defending champions in both the Open and Women's event. The top seeds of the open event are: USA, India, Uzbekistan and China. The top seeds of the Women's event are India and Georgia.
Background
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations compete in an Olympic-style event.[4][5] The first unofficial edition, labelled as the "Chess Olympic Games", was held in Paris in 1924, and coincided with the Summer Olympic Games that took place in the city in the same year.[6] Despite the fact that the event was not officially part of the Olympic Games and the winners were not awarded official Olympic medals, the rules of the Olympic Games applied.[7] The organisers of the Summer Olympics defined chess as a sport,[a] but demanded that only amateurs be allowed to participate, which posed a problem because it was difficult to draw a line between amateurs and professionals.[9] The first official edition of the Chess Olympiad was held in London in 1927.[6][10] Up until 1950 the tournament was organised at irregular intervals. From then on it has been held once every two years.[11][9] The first Women's Chess Olympiad took place in Emmen, Netherlands in 1957;[12] since 1976, the Women's tournament has been held simultaneously with an Open tournament[b] at the Chess Olympiads.[13] The former Soviet Union has historically been the most successful nation with 18 gold medals in the open section and 11 in the Women's event.
Schedule
On 20 April 2026, FIDE released the following schedule
| Date | Day | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 15 September | Tuesday | Opening Ceremony |
| Media Day | ||
| Technical Meeting | ||
| 16 September | Wednesday | Round 1 |
| 17 September | Thursday | Round 2 |
| 18 September | Friday | Round 3 |
| 19 September | Saturday | Round 4 |
| 20 September | Sunday | Round 5 |
| 21 September | Monday | Round 6 |
| 22 September | Tuesday | Rest Day |
| 23 September | Wednesday | Round 7 |
| 24 September | Thursday | Round 8 |
| 25 September | Friday | Round 9 |
| 26 September | Saturday | Round 10 |
| 27 September | Sunday | Round 11
Closing Ceremony |
Notes
- ↑ Chess was officially recognised as a sport by the International Olympic Committee in 1999. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, a two-game exhibition match between grandmasters Vishwanathan Anand and Alexey Shirov took place, but no Olympic medals were awarded.[8]
- ↑ The Open tournament enables participation of players from all genders.
References
- ↑ "FIDE Calendar". International Chess Federation (FIDE). Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ "FIDE delegation visits Uzbekistan to inspect preparations for 46th Chess Olympiad – International Chess Federation". Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ "Chess calendar 2026". Chess News. January 2, 2026. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ↑ Astle, Matthew (27 July 2022). "Chessable's Guide to the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad". Chessable. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ "Chess Olympiad: Regulations for the Chess Olympiad" (PDF). FIDE. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- 1 2 Földeák, Árpád (1979). Chess Olympiads, 1927-1968. New York City: Dover Publications. p. 7. ISBN 978-0486237336.
- ↑ "Chess Olympiad: Paris 1924 (unofficial)". Chennai 2022. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ↑ "Is Chess an Olympic Sport? (The Reality of Chess in Sports)". The Chess Journal. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- 1 2 "A Brief History Of Chess Olympiad". Outlook. 30 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ Brace, Edward R. (1977). An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess. Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 64. ISBN 1-55521-394-4.
- ↑ Sprecher, Mary Helen (26 August 2022). "Inside Events: Chess Olympiad". Sports Destination Management. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ Sunnucks, Anne (1970). The Encyclopedia of Chess. New York City: St. Martin's Press. p. 335. ISBN 978-0709110309.
- ↑ "FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 highlights: India finish with nine medals, including historic women's team bronze". International Olympic Committee. 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ "Invitation: 46th Chess Olympiad, 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities & FIDE Congress 2026 – International Chess Federation". Retrieved 2026-04-20.