Chess Olympiad 2026: Full schedule, fixtures, live streaming details & more

India begin title defence as Chess Olympiad 2026 heads to Samarkand.

The Chess Olympiad 2026 will be held from September 15 to 27, with Samarkand, Uzbekistan, hosting the 46th edition of the prestigious biennial team competition. The playing rounds will begin on September 16, while the opening ceremony is scheduled for September 15.

The event will feature separate Open and Women’s sections, with both competitions following an 11-round Swiss-system format. Each team consists of five players: four compete in each round, with one reserve.

India enter the event as defending champions in both sections after winning double gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The Open team features Gukesh D, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi. Meanwhile, the women’s team includes Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh, R Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B.

The United States, India, Uzbekistan and China are among the leading contenders in the Open section, while India, Georgia, Kazakhstan, China and the United States headline the women’s field.

Related: Chess Olympiad 2026 – Torch handed over to Javokhir Sindarov ahead of games

When is Chess Olympiad 2026 scheduled to start?

The Chess Olympiad 2026 opening ceremony will take place on September 15, with the opening competitive round scheduled for September 16.

The tournament will conclude with Round 11 and the closing ceremony on September 27.

Where will Chess Olympiad 2026 take place?

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, at the Silk Road EXPO complex. Both the Open and Women’s competitions will take place at the same venue.

Where & how to watch the Chess Olympiad 2026 worldwide?

Viewers can follow the tournament through FIDE’s official digital platforms and Chess.com’s live coverage. FIDE’s regulations also confirm that live broadcasting and Internet TV coverage will be carried out through official event domains and agreed broadcast platforms.

With India defending both titles and Uzbekistan looking to make the most of home advantage, the 2026 Chess Olympiad promises two weeks of high-level team chess from Samarkand.

Related: Chess Olympiad 2026 – Full list of participants from the top women’s teams

Top teams and players in the Open section

The United States head the Open section as top seeds with an average rating of 2753, fielding a formidable line-up of Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Hans Niemann and Awonder Liang.

Defending champions India are seeded second with an average of 2735, comprising D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi.

Uzbekistan, led by Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and China, spearheaded by Ding Liren and Wei Yi, are among the other leading contenders.

The field also features several heavyweight teams, including Germany, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Hungary, and France, bolstered by seasoned stars such as Anish Giri, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Richard Rapport and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

Related: Chess Olympiad 2026 – Full list of participants from the top teams in Open Section

Chess Olympiad 2026 Full Schedule

The Chess Olympiad will begin with the opening ceremony on September 15. Rounds one to six will be played consecutively from September 16 to 21, followed by the tournament’s only rest day on September 22.

Rounds seven to ten will then take place from September 23 to 26, before the final round on September 27. Rounds 1-10 are scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM local time in Samarkand, which is 3:30 PM IST. The final round begins earlier at 11:00 AM local time, or 11:30 AM IST.

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