The FIDE Chess Olympiad has opened in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand on Tuesday, 15 September, with a record 400 teams. The host Team Uzbekistan will chase a second Open title when play begins tomorrow.
FIDE’s latest preview put the field at 208 Open teams and 192 women’s teams, exceeding the previous 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest by 20. These are separate team entries across the two competitions, rather than 400 countries.
Tonight’s opening ceremony started at 19:00 local time at the Boqiy Shahar amphitheatre. The first round follows at 15:00 on 16 September, according to the official schedule.
India defend both titles after winning the Open and women’s competitions in Budapest. Uzbekistan, the 2022 Open champions, enter the home tournament third in FIDE’s published starting order, behind the United States and India.
Read more: Caruana, So and Sindarov headline Chess Olympiad in Samarkand
Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov lead the hosts’ first Open team. Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Mukhiddin Madaminov complete the squad, with former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov as its captain.
Chess Olympiad times and tickets
Games take place at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre. Rounds one to ten begin at 15:00 local time, with a rest day on 22 September. The final round starts earlier, at 11:00 on 27 September.
Spectator tickets are available through chess-ticket.uz. Under FIDE’s ticket rules, single-day admission starts at $20 for international visitors and UZS 50,000 for eligible Uzbek citizens and permanent residents.
Read more: Chess Olympiad tickets now on sale: prices, dates and how to buy
