India enters the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand as defending champions in both the Open and Women’s sections, aiming to repeat their historic double-gold feat from Budapest 2024. The Open team is headlined by R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and world champion D Gukesh, while the returning Koneru Humpy leads the women’s side.

The first round starts on September 16 and concludes on September 27. With 208 teams in the Open and 191 in the Women’s section, this is the largest Olympiad in history.

Apart from the twin Olympiads, the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities is also underway in Samarkand.

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Here’s all you need to know about the 46th Chess Olympiad taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan:

2026 Chess Olympiad: Indian Teams

Open:

• R Praggnanandhaa
• Arjun Erigaisi
• Nihal Sarin
• D Gukesh
• Vidit Gujrathi
• Captain: Srinath Narayanan

Women:

• Koneru Humpy
• Divya Deshmukh
• R Vaishali
• Vantika Agrawal
• Savitha Shri B.
• Captain: Swayams Mishra

2026 Chess Olympiad: Format

The Olympiad follows an 11-round Swiss system, where teams with similar scores are paired against each other in each round. No team is eliminated, and every squad plays all 11 rounds. Teams earn two match points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss.

Team Size: 5 players per squad, 4 play each round

2026 Chess Olympiad: Time Control

The time control for all games will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, with an additional 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from the first move. The players are permitted to offer a draw at any time.

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2026 Chess Olympiad: Schedule

Round 1 – September 16 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 2 – September 17 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 3 – September 18 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 4 – September 19 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 5 – September 20 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 6 – September 21 – 3:45 PM IST


Rest Day – September 22


Round 7 – September 23 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 8 – September 24 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 9 – September 25 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 10 – September 26 – 3:45 PM IST


Round 11 – September 27 – 11:45 AM IST

2026 Chess Olympiad: Top seeds

Open Section:

1. USA – 2753


2. India – 2735


3. Uzbekistan – 2720


4. China – 2707


5. Germany – 2677

Women’s Section:

1. India – 2466


2. Georgia – 2451


3. Kazakhstan – 2438


4. China – 2429


5. USA – 2415

2026 Chess Olympiad: Venue

The 46th Chess Olympiad will take place at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.