For centuries, Samarkand stood at the crossroads of civilisations. Merchants, scholars and travellers crossed the ancient Silk Road, carrying ideas and cultures from one part of the world to another. Now, another kind of journey will bring the world to the legendary city: 400 chess teams from across the globe will gather for the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad.
Every two years, national teams from almost every corner of the globe meet across the board, to celebrate the game’s extraordinary international reach.From September 16 (round one) to the 27, Samarkand will feature 208 teams in the Open section and 192 teams in the Women’s event. The figure smashes the previous record of 380 teams set in Budapest in 2024.
Players, arbiters, coaches and captains have already started to arrive. Although the bulk of the participants will join the event tomorrow, many of us flew in early this morning on a plane packed with International Grandmasters. On arrival, the special bus decoration immediately caught my attention – the local organisation team have not left anything to chance!
Instead of caravans crossing the ancient routes, on this occasion modern transports such as the modern Uzbekistan 210km/hAfrosiyob fast train will connect players, cultures and ideas between East and West.
Numbers aside, the Olympiad is unique because it combines the highest level of competitive chess with the opportunity for federations at very different stages of development to share the same stage.And there is definitely no shortage of sporting intrigue!
Team India arrive as the defending Open champions after their historic triumph in Budapest, while the United States, China, Germany are among many other established chess powers seeking gold.
In a recent interview, India’s captain GM Srinath Narayanan reflected on his team’s chances: “Defending an Olympiad title is always a tough challenge. But this Indian team has a lot going for it. There is continuity in the squad, the players are more experienced. India has brilliant depth across the boards.”
Of course, the home team Uzbekistan, surprise winners in 2022, will also carry enormous expectations, having emerged as one of the leading chess nations of the new generation.
The Women’s Olympiad promises an equally compelling competition. India will do their best to defend their 2024 title but a deep field of ambitious emerging federations have travelled far and wide to challenge them. Both the Open line-up and the Women’s line-up were discussed in detail in our previous sports preview a few weeks ago.
Winning an Olympiad is a test of consistency as much as strength. Over 11 rounds, every team will face moments when it is expected to win, moments when it must defend, and inevitably a few matches where everything is at stake. The challenge is to keep the four players performing together day after day. As in relay teams or rowing crews, one exceptional performer cannot compensate indefinitely for weaknesses elsewhere.
Captains must constantly judge in their pre-match strategy when to push for victory and when a solid result is the best practical choice. In an event this long and competitive, maintaining the right balance throughout the two weeks can be as important as playing the strongest chess.There is no single road to the podium: each team will create its own tournament as the rounds unfold.
And yet the 46th Olympiad is about much more than the two main events.For the next two weeks, Samarkand will become the capital of world chess.The 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities is currently in full swing, bringing together a record 41 teams representing players with visual, hearing and physical impairments.
And off the board, the FIDE Congress and elections will take place, during which the international chess community will discuss the future direction of the sport. One of the key commissions will be the FIDE Summit on Chess in Education, scheduled for September 24, congregating educators, policymakers and researchers together as part of FIDE’s 2026 Year of Chess in Education.
On a more technical note, the important meeting for team captains will be held at the Tashkent Ball room in the Hilton Samarkand Regency hotel at 3 PM on September 15.
Meanwhile, the traditional torch relay ceremony was performed today in India. FIDE Interim President GM Vishy Anand and Mr. Nitin Narang, President of the All India Chess Federation, handed the torch with the Olympic flame over to GM Javokhir Sindarov, who will travel with it to the Samarkand Olympiad.
Official website: https://chessolympiad2026.fide.com/
Written by Michael Rahal
Photos: Stev Bonhage, Mark Livshitz and Lennart Ootes