The 46th Chess Olympiad runs in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 27, 2026.10 The event is organized by the International Chess Federation, or FIDE, the global governing body for chess.5 Matches take place at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre, with close to 200 teams expected to take part.12
What Is The World Chess Olympiad
Every two years, national teams gather under their flags for the Chess Olympiad, described as the highest level of team competition in the game.10 Established champions and emerging talents compete across the board, representing both personal reputations and national pride.10
Teams contest the Olympiad titles as well as individual board honours in one of chess's most demanding formats, playing across eleven rounds of team competition.10 The tournament brings together federations from around the world in the city of Samarkand, a city shaped by centuries of cultural exchange.10
Schedule And Format
The Olympiad opens with a ceremony on September 15, with Round 1 following on September 16 at 3pm local time (GMT+5).10 Rounds continue on consecutive days, including Round 2 on September 17, Round 3 on September 18, and Round 4 on September 19, each starting at 3pm (GMT+5).10
Teams represent their countries across four boards during the competition.10 Samarkand's role as host highlights Uzbekistan's growing presence in world chess and its investment in the game's future.10
Who Is Playing
The rating picture heading into the Olympiad shows Fabian Caruana, five years younger than his rival, still playing tournament chess regularly. Caruana dropped three Elo rating points, a measure used to rank chess players by skill, after the concluding events of the Grand Chess Tour (GCT), a series of top-level tournaments, including the Sinquefield Cup and the GCT Finals.
That result put Caruana behind Hikaru Nakamura in the rankings. World number four Javokhir Sindarov also competed in the Sinquefield Cup and held his position with a small gain of one Elo point.
Sindarov is set to face Gukesh Dommaraju in the World Chess Championship match at the end of November, a contest that comes right after the Chess Olympiad on the calendar. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu has also returned to the top 10 rankings and overtaken Arjun Erigaisi as India's top-ranked player after winning the 2026 Grand Chess Tour.6
Why Samarkand Matters
The choice of Samarkand for the 46th Olympiad places the tournament at what organizers describe as the centre of the chess world for these two weeks.10 The Open and Women's sections take place as part of the same event, uniting federations in team competition.10
The Olympiad is one of several major fixtures on the 2026 chess calendar, alongside the World Chess Championship in Geneva later in the year.7 Wikipedia's chess calendar for the year also notes the Olympiad's open and women's sections are set for September in Samarkand.8
How To Follow The Event
Coverage of the Olympiad includes details on teams, players, schedule, favourites, format and results. Fans can also track the broader rating picture shaping the field, including how players performed in tournaments just before the event.6
If the Olympiad has you wanting to test your own openings against someone you know, you can start a private game with a friend on Friend Chess.