Forty teams confirmed for 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities
Forty teams have entered the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities, setting a new participation record for the competition. The tournament runs in Samarkand from 10 to 17 September alongside the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, marking the first time the two events have been staged together. The field has grown with each over-the-board edition, from 26 teams in Belgrade in 2023 to 34 in Astana last October, and now 40 in Samarkand. The tournament will be played as a seven-round Swiss, one round longer than either of the first two editions. Games are played at a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one. Each team consists of four players and one reserve, with at least one player of each gender required to play in every round. The competition brings together players with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities. Poland tops the seedings with an average rating of 2215 and the strongest record in the event’s short history. Poland won the inaugural online edition in 2020, swept all six matches to take gold in Belgrade, and finished second in Astana. The squad is led by IM Marcin Molenda, who scored 5.5/6 on board two in Belgrade, with IM Pawel Piekielny and IM Aleksander Czerwonski also in the line-up. Cuba is seeded second with an average rating of 2200. IM Carlos Larduet Despaigne and IM Pedro Morales Romero, both rated 2274, occupy the first two boards. Third seed Israel brings the highest-rated player in the field in GM Yehuda Gruenfeld (pictured below; center), rated 2379. Gruenfeld won the board-one gold medal in Astana and added two more world titles in May, winning both the rapid and blitz competitions at the World Deaf Chess Championships in Spain at the age of 70. The results also secured his place at the 2027 Deaflympics. He is joined in the Israeli team by IM Eyal Deutsch and IM Andrei Gurbanov. The three international organisations for players with disabilities also enter their own teams. The International Braille Chess Association, representing blind and visually impaired players, are fourth seeds with an average rating of 2137, with IM Predrag Nikac on the top board. The International Physically Disabled Chess Association, whose team took silver in Belgrade, is led by FM Sargis Sargissyan, rated 2254. The International Chess Committee of the Deaf completes the three international teams. Behind the top seeds, the field is tightly packed. Croatia, Germany, Argentina, the United States, the Philippines and Serbia are separated by fewer than 50 average rating points. Switzerland fielded IM Igor Yarmonov, a multiple IPCA world individual champion and, at 2315, the third-highest-rated player in the field. The United States returns with brothers Sullivan and Griffin McConnell after finishing level on match points for sixth place in Astana and placing seventh on tie-break. Celine Atassi, who received the prize for the youngest player in the physical disability category at that event, is also back in the team. Several of last year’s individual medallists return. Kishan Gangolli, who scored an unbeaten 5/6 to win the board-three prize for India in Astana after taking silver on the same board in Belgrade, plays behind IM Shashikant Kutwal. Serbia brings Jovan Pavicevic, who finished second on board two in Astana, and Jovana Pavicevic, who took third place on board five. Croatia’s Domagoj Glazar was third on board two, Argentina’s Leonel Amato third on board one, Kazakhstan’s Aiganym Kambarova first on board five and Bangladesh’s Md Ali Nawaz Sarkar second on the same board. Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza (pictured above), winner of the best-game prize in Astana, returns for the Philippines. The Philippine team also has a podium finish behind them, having taken bronze at the inaugural over-the-board edition in Belgrade. The 40-team field spans four continents. Six African federations have entered: Egypt, Eswatini, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Seven teams come from the Americas, while hosts Uzbekistan will be represented by three teams, seeded 25th, 26th, and 39th. Medals will be awarded to the top three teams, together with individual medals on each of the four boards and the reserve board. Special prizes will recognise the best performance, the most beautiful game, and the youngest and oldest players in each disability category. The opening ceremony will take place on 10 September at 6 p.m. local time. Rounds one to six begin at 3 p.m. daily from 11 September, before the final round starts at 11 a.m. on 17 September. The full list of teams and participants can be found here: https://dis-olympiad2026.fide.com/teams_pwd Official website: https://dis-olympiad2026.fide.com/
FIDE World University Team Championship Finals: Eight teams advance as group stage concludes
The group stage of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship Finals came to an exciting conclusion on Thursday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the eight quarterfinalists now confirmed after three days of intense competition. With all sixteen participating universities in action for the final time, the last rounds determined which teams would continue their quest for the inaugural title and which would conclude their championship journey. Before play began, the ceremonial first moves reflected both Kazakhstan’s commitment to chess and the inclusive spirit of the championship. The opening game was officially launched by Beket Zharokov, Vice-President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, together with Murat Zhunusov, a para-athlete, chess player and world champion among the visually impaired. On the other board it was made by Timur Buldybayev, Rector of Almaty Management University. The second match featured Saltanat Serikova, Deputy of the Almaty City Maslikhat representing the Respublica Party, and Kazakhstan National Team Coach Dastan Kapayev. Quarterfinalists confirmed After three days of competition, the following teams secured their places in the knockout stage: Pool A: Ural State Mining University and Harvard University Pool B: Saint Louis University and Universidad de Chile Pool C: The University of Texas at Dallas and National Technical University of Athens Pool D: Kazakh National University of Sports (KNUS) and Universitas Gunadarma The quarterfinal pairings are: Ural State Mining University vs. Universitas Gunadarma Harvard University vs. Kazakh National University of Sports (KNUS) Saint Louis University vs. National Technical University of Athens Universidad de Chile vs. The University of Texas at Dallas The knockout stage promises a series of fascinating encounters. Host nation hopes now rest with KNUS, who will face Harvard University for a place in the semifinals, while tournament favourites Saint Louis University take on the National Technical University of Athens. Ural State Mining University begins its knockout campaign against Universitas Gunadarma, while Universidad de Chile meets the University of Texas at Dallas in another highly anticipated matchup. Reflecting on the significance of the championship, FIDE General Secretary Łukasz Turlej emphasized its importance for the future of chess in education. “We are very happy that after so many events that happened in Kazakhstan over just the last couple of years, we are coming here to Almaty with the World University Team Chess Championships. Very important event, top universities from many different countries, many continents, and this event is one of the most important because in the world of education we have a lot to do with chess.” He also highlighted the growing recognition of chess beyond the chess community. “When non-chess people are talking about chess and the implementation of chess in the educational system, this is the moment that we are very proud of.” While celebrating the progress already made, Turlej stressed that there is still considerable work ahead. “There is a lot of work to be done. We see that there are so many countries where chess is being developed as a tool in education to build the skills of kids and students.” He also pointed to university scholarship systems as an increasingly important opportunity for young players. “If you are a very good chess player, your chances of getting into the university and to get some scholarship are higher and higher. This is an opportunity for chess players to continue their careers both in science and in sport.” While eight universities celebrated qualification, the championship also fulfilled one of its central missions: bringing together students from around the world through chess and education. Even teams whose campaigns ended in the group stage spoke overwhelmingly about the experience, friendships and lessons they would take home. For Peking University, Zechen Li described the championship as a rare opportunity for university players. “It was a very good experience to learn from such strong opponents. For university students, we don’t have many chances to play in a worldwide event.” The University of Melbourne delegation emphasized the value of competing internationally. Chloe Fan noted: “Australia is quite geographically isolated, so being able to come to Kazakhstan and play on the global stage is a huge privilege, and we’re very grateful.” Players from the University of Pretoria highlighted the life skills developed through chess. Rowan Gounder reflected: “Chess isn’t just a game – it’s mental. It teaches you that even after a loss, it’s not over. There’s always the next game.” Representatives of the University of Oxford also reflected on the connection of chess and high education. Ted Paul said: “In chess, you’ll often be losing, but then you come back and refocus. Just like in education, people have their ups and downs, but hopefully you keep fighting and come out on top in the end.” Meanwhile, representatives of Cambridge praised both the international atmosphere and Kazakhstan’s commitment to chess in education. Nicolas Pacetti-Tera said: “Seeing so many strong players who are able to balance chess and university motivates me to try to improve at both at the same time, instead of neglecting chess.” As the championship enters its decisive stage, only eight teams remain in contention for the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship title. Yet regardless of the results still to come, the group stage has already demonstrated the power of chess to unite students from around the world, promote academic excellence alongside sporting achievement, and showcase the growing role of chess as a valuable educational tool in higher education. Pairings of the Knock-Out Stage of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship: https://s3.chess-results.com/tnr1468184.aspx?lan=1&art=0&turdet=YES&flag=30&SNode=S0 Follow the games live: https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-world-university-team-chess-championship-2026-finals-pool-b/round-1-game-1/czIFifAv Official website: https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com/