46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026
46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 brings the world’s biggest national-team chess event to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September 2026. The main Olympiad program runs from September 15 to September 28, 2026, with the final round and closing ceremony on September 27.
The Olympiad takes place at Silk Road EXPO, inside the Silk Road Samarkand tourist center. This large modern venue gives teams, officials, media, and spectators a central setting close to hotels, restaurants, public areas, and cultural sites.
The event includes the Open Olympiad and the Women’s Olympiad. Both sections use an 11-round Swiss team format. In addition, Samarkand also hosts the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities and the FIDE Congress 2026 around the same period.
🏁 Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Dates | September 15 – September 28, 2026 |
| ♟️ Main competition | September 16 – September 27, 2026 |
| 📍 Location | Samarkand, Uzbekistan |
| 🏨 Venue | Silk Road EXPO, Rowing canal, Konigil massif, Samarkand, 140319, Uzbekistan |
| 🏆 Event type | National team chess championship |
| ♟️ Sections | Open and Women |
| 🔢 Rounds | 11 rounds |
| 🧩 System | Swiss system |
| 👥 Team format | Four players plus one reserve |
| ⏱️ Time control | 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes to finish, with 30 seconds increment from move 1 |
| 🕒 Default time | 15 minutes |
| ✅ Rating format | Standard classical chess |
| 👤 Organizer | FIDE and the Organising Committee of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation |
| 🏛️ Related events | 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities and FIDE Congress 2026 |
⏱️ Time Control & Pairings
Both sections use an 11-round Swiss system. Each team match takes place over four boards, while every team may also have one reserve player. Therefore, team preparation, board order, and match strategy will play a major role.
The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds increment from move 1. In addition, players must arrive within the 15-minute default time.
Teams score match points. A match win gives 2 points, a drawn match gives 1 point, and a match loss gives 0 points. After that, tie-breaks decide teams that finish on the same number of match points.
Players cannot agree to a draw before Black’s 30th move. However, a draw claim before that point may still apply in cases such as threefold repetition or stalemate.
🏆 Awards & Trophies
The Olympiad awards three historic trophies.
| Trophy | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| Hamilton-Russell Cup | Winner of the Open section |
| Vera Menchik Cup | Winner of the Women’s section |
| Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy | Best combined federation performance across the Open and Women’s sections |
The top three teams in each section receive gold, silver, and bronze medals. In addition, FIDE awards individual board medals based on performance rating. Players need at least eight games to qualify for an individual board prize.
The regulations also include rating-category team medals. These medals give more federations a chance to compete for honors beyond the overall podium.
♟️ Sections / Groups
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Open Olympiad | National federation teams in the Open section |
| Women’s Olympiad | National federation teams in the Women’s section |
| Combined classification | Based on the combined Open and Women’s performance of each federation |
National teams from FIDE member federations have the right to participate. Each federation may field teams according to the official registration process and FIDE eligibility rules.
📅 Schedule
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| September 15, 2026 | Opening Ceremony |
| September 16, 2026 | Round 1 |
| September 17, 2026 | Round 2 |
| September 18, 2026 | Round 3 |
| September 19, 2026 | Round 4 |
| September 20, 2026 | Round 5 |
| September 21, 2026 | Round 6 |
| September 22, 2026 | Rest day |
| September 23, 2026 | Round 7 |
| September 24, 2026 | Round 8 |
| September 25, 2026 | Round 9 |
| September 26, 2026 | Round 10 |
| September 27, 2026 | Round 11 and Closing Ceremony |
| September 28, 2026 | Departure day |
The organizer may also offer a cultural program on the evening after Round 6 and on the rest day. As a result, delegations can combine the competition schedule with local cultural activities in Samarkand.
📝 Registration
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Registration opening | April 20, 2026 |
| Eligible entrants | FIDE member federations |
| Registration method | Credentials sent to official federation email addresses |
| Team registration details | Chief of delegation, captain, players, FIDE IDs, accompanying persons, and visa information |
| Late delegation changes | EUR 100 per person after the team-registration deadline |
| Visa and accommodation note | Late changes may affect visa support and accommodation availability |
Federations should register through the official process after receiving their credentials. In addition, each federation should prepare player FIDE IDs, captain details, delegation information, and visa-related data before submitting the team.
👤 Organizer
FIDE and the Organising Committee of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation organize the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand. The event brings together national federations from across the world and continues the Olympiad tradition as chess’s largest team championship.
📍 Venue
Silk Road EXPO, Rowing canal, Konigil massif, Samarkand, 140319, Uzbekistan
Silk Road EXPO forms part of the Silk Road Samarkand tourist center. The venue offers more than 10,000 square meters of event space and supports major conferences, exhibitions, and international gatherings.
The surrounding complex includes eight high-class hotels, an artificial lake, public areas, parks, recreational and sports zones, restaurants, cafés, bars, and cultural sites within walking distance. Therefore, delegations and visitors can stay close to the playing hall.
🛏️ Accommodation
The regulations provide free full-board accommodation for each team’s official delegation. This includes accommodation for 5 players and 1 captain for 14 days, from dinner on the day before the Opening Ceremony until breakfast on departure day.
Each team receives two standard double rooms and two standard single rooms in a 4-star hotel minimum. In addition, the Chief of Delegation receives free full-board accommodation in a standard single room if that person is not already part of the covered delegation.
Official hotels must remain within a 30-minute drive of the playing venue. Moreover, the Silk Road Samarkand complex places several hotels within walking distance of Silk Road EXPO.
🚗 How to Get There
Samarkand is one of Uzbekistan’s major historical and cultural cities. Visitors can travel to the city by air, rail, or road, depending on their route and federation arrangements.
The venue address is Rowing canal, Konigil massif, Samarkand, 140319, Uzbekistan. After arrival in Samarkand, teams and visitors can continue to Silk Road EXPO by official transport, taxi, or local transfer services.
♿ Related Event: 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities
The 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities also takes place in Samarkand. The official competition schedule runs from September 10 to September 17, 2026, with seven rounds and a closing ceremony on September 17.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| September 10, 2026 | Opening Ceremony |
| September 11, 2026 | Round 1 |
| September 12, 2026 | Round 2 |
| September 13, 2026 | Round 3 |
| September 14, 2026 | Round 4 |
| September 15, 2026 | Round 5 |
| September 16, 2026 | Round 6 |
| September 17, 2026 | Round 7 and Closing Ceremony |
This team event promotes inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities in chess. It brings together players with visual, hearing, and physical impairments from around the world.
🏛️ Related Event: FIDE Congress 2026
The FIDE Congress 2026 also takes place in Samarkand during the Olympiad period. The broader Congress window runs from September 19 to September 28, 2026, while the main published Congress schedule starts on September 20.
| Date | Congress activity |
|---|---|
| September 20, 2026 | FIDE Advisory Board, FIDE Commissions’ meetings, FIDE Management Board |
| September 21, 2026 | FIDE Commissions’ meetings, FIDE Council |
| September 22, 2026 | FIDE Commissions’ meetings |
| September 23, 2026 | FIDE Commissions’ meetings, FIDE Zonal Council |
| September 24, 2026 | Continental Meetings, Education Summit, FIDE Commissions’ meetings |
| September 25, 2026 | FIDE Commissions’ meetings, Zonal meetings and elections |
| September 26, 2026 | FIDE General Assembly and Elections |
| September 27, 2026 | FIDE General Assembly |
The Congress brings together FIDE member federations, councils, zones, commissions, and delegates. It also includes FIDE elections and the General Assembly.
ℹ️ Other
The event uses FIDE-approved electronic clocks and boards. In addition, Level 1 anti-cheating protection measures apply during the main competition.
Players and captains may not carry unauthorized electronic devices during a playing session. The playing area also allows access only to approved players, captains, officials, arbiters, accredited media, and stewards.
Appeals must be submitted in writing within two hours of the relevant incident. Each appeal requires a deposit of EUR 100 or the equivalent amount in local currency.
FIDE also provides travel subsidies for eligible federations and Congress delegates. The subsidy rules depend on federation development level, continent, and approved eligibility.
46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 combines elite national-team chess, a major international congress, and a historic setting in Samarkand.
Organizer
♟️ Federation Identity
Uzbekistan Chess Federation is the national chess federation of Uzbekistan and is based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It brings together amateur and professional players under one national structure and gives the country a clear system for championships, ratings, training, and international representation. For chess players, that matters because the federation connects local activity with national titles and the wider FIDE calendar. It also works as a non-governmental, non-profit body with a central office in the capital and a broad national reach through regional branches. In recent years, the federation has held a very visible place in world chess. It received the FIDE Outstanding Contribution Award 2025, and it was also honored at the Asian Chess summit after Uzbekistan’s gold-medal performance at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai. That combination of structure and results makes it one of the most influential chess bodies in Central Asia.
🏆 National Competitions
The federation runs a wide and practical calendar for different levels of play. Its schedule includes the Uzbekistan Championship, the Uzbekistan Youth Chess Championship, the President’s Cup, and major international events staged in Tashkent and other cities. It has also supported events such as Tashkent Summer, which it organized together with the International Chess Academy, and the International Women’s Chess Championship in Bukhara, which in 2026 brought together 118 players from 14 countries. For younger players, the national youth championship in Tashkent has included standard, rapid, and blitz sections, which gives juniors a fuller competitive pathway inside one event. This is important for players because the federation does not focus on a single flagship tournament. Instead, it maintains a broad national circuit with open, youth, women’s, and international competitions that keep Uzbek chess active throughout the year.
🌱 Youth and Development System
The federation also plays a major role in youth chess, education, and long-term player development. Its public structure includes regional federations, the International Chess Academy, and commissions for women’s chess, chess in schools, players with disabilities, trainers, arbiters, and veterans. That shows a system built not only for elite events but also for broad chess growth. The development side is visible in practice as well. The federation supports school and junior pathways, and its public materials connect chess with formal education and youth training. At the same time, Uzbekistan’s recent world-level results reflect the strength of that system. The federation’s competitive era includes Nodirbek Abdusattorov’s 2021 World Rapid title and continued success by Uzbek teams and juniors on the international stage. For players, this means the federation is not only an administrator. It is also the main body shaping how children enter chess, how talents progress, and how Uzbekistan continues to produce strong players.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the world governing body of chess, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It regulates international chess competition and sets global standards for ratings, titles, and official regulations. Moreover, FIDE works with national federations to develop chess as a recognized sport worldwide.
In addition, FIDE sanctions and oversees major international events, including world championship cycles and continental championships. It administers the global rating system and norms framework that define FIDE-rated tournament requirements and title pathways. Furthermore, it supports a wide ecosystem of classical chess, rapid chess, and blitz competitions through its calendar and member federation network.
Furthermore, FIDE promotes integrity and consistent regulations through its fair play and governance frameworks. As a result, players and organizers have a unified system for titles, ratings, and event recognition across the international chess landscape, including large-scale open chess tournament festivals.
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