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← See today's latestOlympiad finale locked: Uzbekistan and China crowned
Samarkand Olympiad won
Uzbekistan and China took home the gold.
The hosts clinched the open title while China captured the women's crown at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand [Quelle: Chess.com]. The tournament wrapped an 11-round Swiss-system grind across September 16–27 with record turnout—208 teams in the open and 191 in the women's category competing under 90-minute time controls that punished fatigue and rewarded depth. Uzbekistan's victory at home validates the depth strategy that kept them competitive through rounds ten and eleven, when rotation chemistry and board stability decided outcomes more than raw firepower alone.
The medal shake-up reshapes the classical rankings heading into Budapest.
Americans stay unbeaten through three
Both US teams kept winning streaks alive past midway.
The open and women's rosters both boasted 6–0 records through three rounds, with the combined depth of Caruana, So, Aronian, Niemann, and Liang alongside Yip, Lee, Krush, Atwell, and Abrahamyan clicking when preparation met fatigue [Quelle: US Chess]. The rotation strategy that carried them through the opening rounds proved resilient even as stronger opposition arrived in the back half—consistency on boards three and four transforms support roles into medal catalysts when the elite draw.
Watch whether Niemann and Liang's debuts sustained momentum through the final rounds.
Budapest's all-format championship field set
Twenty-four elite players locked into November's format hybrid.
The Total Chess World Championship Tour now has its complete pilot roster, adding Aronian, Le Quang Liem, Jorden van Foreest, Abhimanyu Mishra, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Andrew Hong to a field led by Carlsen and Caruana [Quelle: ChessBase]. The format blends Fast Classic, Rapid, and Blitz with weighted scoring that rewards classical mastery—a genuine test of whether board strength translates when time pressure intensifies. The blueprint will shape FIDE's global all-format championship rollout in 2027.
Classical dominance has never guaranteed blitz survival.
Chess Olympiad - Live! | ChessBase5 hours ago ... Full teams' compositions and pairings on Chess-Results: Open | Women's ... ChessBase Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews ...en.chessbase.com
Uzbekistan, China Win 2026 Samarkand Chess Olympiad Gold4 hours ago ... ... results!" #ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/VA5wicXgXa. — chess24 (@chess24com) ... Chess Tournaments Calendar · Support · Chess Terms · About · Students · Jobs ...chess.com
46th Olympiad: Both American Teams Start Strong | US Chess.org21 hours ago ... Both American teams currently boast 6/6 scores after three rounds of the 11-round 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad ... tournament score. The top 28 teams reached a 4/4 ...new.uschess.org