Chess Olympiad 2026: Full list of participants from the top women's teams

Indian women’s squad enters the event as the top-ranked nation

The Chess Olympiad 2026 will feature some of the world’s strongest women’s teams, with several nations arriving with squads packed with accomplished grandmasters and rising stars.

Based on the average ratings of the announced squads, defending champions India enter the event as the top-ranked team, followed by Georgia and Kazakhstan. China and the United States also feature among the leading contenders.

Here is a look at the players representing the top-rated women’s teams at the Chess Olympiad 2026.

1. India — Average Rating: 2466

India head into the Chess Olympiad 2026 as the top-rated women’s team, following their historic gold-medal triumph at the 2024 edition.

• GM Koneru Humpy — 2509
• GM Divya Deshmukh — 2490
• GM Vaishali Rameshbabu — 2469
• IM Vantika Agrawal — 2395
• IM Savitha Shri B — 2382

Led by former world rapid champion Koneru Humpy, India possesses a balanced combination of experience and young talent. World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh and Candidates winner Vaishali Rameshbabu will also be among the key players in the team’s title defence.

2. Georgia — Average Rating: 2451

Georgia arrives with one of the most experienced teams in the competition.

• GM Nana Dzagnidze — 2478
• GM Nino Batsiashvili — 2466
• GM Bella Khotenashvili — 2435
• IM Lela Javakhishvili — 2424
• IM Meri Arabidze — 2370

Dzagnidze and Batsiashvili lead a Georgian squad that combines significant international experience with impressive depth across the five boards.

3. Kazakhstan — Average Rating: 2438

Kazakhstan will be a team to watch, led by one of the strongest young players in women’s chess.

• GM Bibisara Assaubayeva — 2536
• IM Alua Nurman — 2455
• IM Meruert Kamalidenova — 2413
• WIM Elnaz Kaliakhmet — 2347
• WIM Zarina Nurgaliyeva — 2303

Assaubayeva headlines the team and is the highest-rated player among Kazakhstan’s five representatives.

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

4. China — Average Rating: 2429

China has traditionally been one of the strongest forces in women’s team chess and brings another competitive squad to the Olympiad.

• GM Zhu Jiner — 2550
• IM Song Yuxin — 2457
• IM Lu Miaoyi — 2371
• WIM Yan Tianqi — 2338
• WGM Zhai Mo — 2336

Zhu Jiner is the standout name in the Chinese line-up and will lead a team featuring several promising young players.

5. United States — Average Rating: 2415

The United States arrives with a youthful team alongside one of the country’s most experienced players.

• IM Carissa Yip — 2468
• IM Alice Lee — 2453
• GM Irina Krush — 2393
• IM Tatev Abrahamyan — 2347
• IM Rose Atwell — 2342

Yip and Lee lead the younger generation of American chess, while multiple-time US women’s champion Krush brings significant experience to the squad.

6. Ukraine — Average Rating: 2396

• WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn
• GM Anna Ushenina
• IM Nataliya Buksa
• WGM Anastasiia Rakhmangulova
• Tetyana Skarbarchuk

7. Azerbaijan — Average Rating: 2375

• IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva
• WGM Govhar Beydullayeva
• IM Khanim Balajayeva
• IM Gunay Mammadzada
• IM Gulnar Mammadova

8. France — Average Rating: 2374

• GM Marie Sebag
• IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette
• IM Sophie Milliet
• IM Pauline Guichard
• WIM Manon Schippke

9. Poland — Average Rating: 2369

• IM Oliwia Kiolbasa
• IM Klaudia Kulon
• IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya
• GM Monika Socko
• WGM Alicja Sliwicka

Related: FIDE announces full schedule for 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand

10. Germany — Average Rating: 2359

• GM Elisabeth Paehtz
• IM Dinara Wagner
• WGM Jana Schneider
• FM Lara Schulze
• WGM Hanna Marie Klek

You can see the full list here.

The leading contenders

India enters the Chess Olympiad 2026 as the reigning champions and the highest-rated women’s team. However, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China are just behind them, while the United States, Ukraine and Azerbaijan also have the strength to challenge for the podium.

With defending champions India leading the field and several rising stars, including Divya Deshmukh, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Zhu Jiner, Carissa Yip and Alice Lee, set to compete, the women’s competition promises to be one of the most exciting events at the Chess Olympiad 2026.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram