FIDE Confirms Team Lineups for Samarkand Chess Olympiad

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has published team lineups for the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.

The tournament will take place from 15 to 27 September 2026 and will be the largest in the event's history, featuring 400 teams, including 208 in the Open section and 192 in the Women's section. This exceeds the previous record set at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest by 20 teams, according to FIDE.

The opening ceremony will take place on 15 September, followed by 11 rounds of classical chess from 16 to 27 September.

The United States received the top seed in the Open tournament. Other primary favorites include defending champion India, host nation Uzbekistan, China, and Germany. In the Women's tournament, India holds the top seed, followed by Georgia, China, Kazakhstan, and the United States.

Fabiano Caruana will lead the US team, playing alongside Wesley So, Hans Niemann, Levon Aronian, and Awonder Liang. For Niemann and Liang, this will be their career debut at the Olympiad.

India will defend its Open title won in Budapest. Arjun Erigaisi will play on board one, Praggnanandhaa R. on board two, and reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju on board four. No team has won back-to-back Open Olympiad titles since 2008.

Host team Uzbekistan is considered a key contender for victory. Its roster includes Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, and Mukhiddin Madaminov. Former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov will serve as team captain. Four players from the current lineup were part of the team that won gold at the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai. As host nation, Uzbekistan will field three teams each in the Open and Women's tournaments.

Wei Yi will lead the Chinese team, joined by former world champion Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi, Xu Xiangyu, and Kong Xiangrui. Germany is seeded fifth.

In the Women's tournament, defending champion India also holds the top seed. The team will be represented by Humpy Koneru, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Vantika Agrawal, and Savitha Shri. Georgia is seeded second, while third-seeded China will play without reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. Kazakhstan, the 2024 silver medalist, holds the fourth seed.

The Uzbek women's team is seeded 13th and consists of Afruza Khamdamova, Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva, Umida Omonova, and Guldona Karimova, with Nafisa Muminova as captain. Uzbekistan will also enter second and third national women's teams featuring young players.

FIDE highlighted a new generation of young talent competing in Samarkand, including 15-year-old Turkish team leader Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, 12-year-old Argentine Grandmaster Faustino Oro, and 11-year-old British player Bodhana Sivanandan.

FIDE expects the main struggle for gold in the Open section to unfold between the United States, Uzbekistan, India, and China, whose average ratings differ marginally.

In the Women's tournament, India, Georgia, China, and Kazakhstan are listed as the primary title contenders, with the United States also among the favorites.