Caruana, So and Sindarov headline Chess Olympiad in Samarkand
Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Hans Niemann and Javokhir Sindarov will headline the 46th Chess Olympiad when the prestigious tournament opens in the historic city of Samarkand.
Scheduled to run from 15-27 September, the international competition brings together an unprecedented 398 teams and nearly 2,000 competitors. Alongside the high-stakes board battles, the host city will also welcome the FIDE Congress to elect the federation’s president for the upcoming four-year term.
Central Asia’s first Chess Olympiad
The biennial Chess Olympiad serves as the largest team event in the sport. Competitors engage in individual matches, with their personal results ultimately calculating their national squad’s collective score.
This year marks a historic milestone, as it is the first Olympiad staged in Central Asia. FIDE selected Samarkand due to Uzbekistan’s rapid emergence as a dominant force in the global game.
Organisers anticipate breaking previous participation records, comfortably surpassing the 380 teams that contested the 2024 Budapest edition. The current forecast projects 208 open teams alongside 190 women’s teams.
The United States enters the open division as the primary seed, boasting a formidable roster that includes Caruana, So, Aronian and Niemann. Defending champion India secured the second seed. The host nation starts third, spearheaded by emerging grandmasters Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Other notable grandmasters scheduled to participate include Germany’s Vincent Keymer and France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju will compete for India before his high-profile world championship bout against Sindarov in Geneva later this year.
Women’s competition
The women’s section of the Olympiad highlights significant progress for the host nation. The Uzbekistan women’s squad has climbed 17 places to reach 21st in the global FIDE rankings ahead of the home tournament. Reflecting a new generation of local talent, 16-year-old Nilufarkhon Imomkuziyeva will make her Olympiad debut for the national team.
Meanwhile, the host nation will showcase its strongest competitors in the open division, fielding Sindarov, Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov. According to tournament officials, Sindarov currently holds the fourth spot in world rankings, while Abdusattorov sits in seventh.
FIDE leadership vote
Beyond the tournament boards, the city will be the epicentre of international chess politics. The FIDE Congress is slated for 19-28 September, gathering delegates from over 200 national federations.
FIDE General Assembly executive elections for president and deputy president will be held on 26 and 27 September. The Olympiad and political congress ensure that Samarkand will dominate chess throughout September, determining competitive supremacy and administrative future.
