The 46th edition of the Chess Olympiad is set to take place from 15-27 September 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan!
International Chess Federation FIDE has published the official invitation for the event, which will simultaneously host 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities, and the FIDE Congress and Elections.
One of the most eagerly-awaited chess events, the Chess Olympiad 2026, is expected to break the participation record which was set in 2024 in Budapest with 193 teams competing in Open section, and 181 teams in the Women’s event. The events will be played according to the well known 11-round swiss system, with Open and Women’s separate competitions, and classical time control.
Each team in the 46th Chess Olympiad should consist of four players + one reserve player. Preparing for prestigious tournament, many federations already announced the compositions of their teams. However, the official deadline for submission of team compositions is 15th of July, 2026.
The winners of the competition will be awarded with different trophies, and the federation of the respective winning teams will have custody of the Trophies, until the next Chess Olympiad:
- The Hamilton-Russell Cup for the winners of the Open section
- The Vera Menchik Cup for the winners of the Women section
- The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the best combined federation performance across the Open and Women sections
The 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities
Alongside the 46thย Chess Olympiad, the 3rdย FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities will take place from 10 to 18 September, with the participation of up to 40 teams. The event brings together chess players with visual, hearing, and physical impairments from around the world, united by their passion for the game and the spirit of fair competition.
In the published invitation, FIDE called national federations to submit their lists of players with disabilities for the purpose of calculating the average rating and determining the qualified teams for the tournament. The deadline for submitting player lists is 30 April 2026.
The FIDE Congress
The FIDE Congress will run concurrently with the main tournament from 20โ27 September. A key highlight will be the FIDE General Assembly and Elections, scheduled for 26 September 2026, where the future leadership of the federation will be decided.
Full schedule of the FIDE Congress 2026 is shown below.
Detailed information and official invitation for the events can be found on the official webpage.
