The biggest Chess Olympiad in history brought almost 400 teams from around the world to Samarkand, where host nation Uzbekistan won gold in the Open competition after defeating Ukraine in the final round. Uzbekistan won its first Chess Olympiad title in India's Chennai in 2022 and followed it with bronze in Budapest two years later. Winning it at home feels different,” Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov said.
After winning the Candidates Tournament, he will challenge India’s Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title in Geneva from 22 November to 12 December. Both players will be 20 when the match begins, making it the youngest World Championship contest in chess history. Organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Chess Olympiad is the leading international team competition in chess.
Unlike most major chess tournaments, players compete for their countries rather than only for themselves. Four players from one national team face four from another at the same time, with their individual results combined to determine the result between the two countries. Teams compete over 11 rounds, facing different opponents as the tournament progresses.
Uzbekistan finished the competition with 20 of 22 possible match points, winning 10 of its 11 matches. Among the teams it defeated were defending champions India, China and the top-seeded US. Its only loss came against eventual bronze medallists Germany.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov was another key member of the winning team. Playing on Uzbekistan’s first board, meaning he generally faced the strongest player from each opposing team, he completed the Chess Olympiad without losing a game and received an individual gold medal for his performance. India finished with silver, while Germany took bronze.
For Germany, the result marked its first Open team medal at a Chess Olympiad since 2000, when it won silver in Istanbul. Several European countries also finished near the top, with Hungary, France and Spain all placing inside the top 10, alongside Azerbaijan and Armenia. In the women’s competition, China won gold, Kazakhstan finished second and defending champions India took bronze.
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