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FIDE Chess Olympiad

Uzbekistan Wins FIDE Chess Olympiad Gold on Home Soil in Samarkand

Uzbekistan has won the Open section of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, claiming its second title after its breakthrough victory in Chennai in 2022. The hosts entered the final round with 18 match points, one ahead of defending champions India. Uzbekistan defeated Ukraine 2.5-1.5 to finish with 20 points, while India drew 2-2 with Hungary. India’s draw meant Uzbekistan had secured gold even before its match against Ukraine had finished. India and Germany both finished on 18 points, with India taking silver on tiebreak and Germany bronze. Mukhiddin Madaminov delivered the decisive win on board four against Ukraine, while the other three games ended in draws. [caption id="attachment_57312" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Uzbekistan’s players during the final round of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Image: FIDE[/caption] Uzbekistan won its first seven matches before Germany handed the hosts their only defeat of the tournament, 2.5-1.5, in Round 8. The team responded by beating the United States, the top seed in the Open section, in Round 9, before defeating Armenia 3.5-0.5 in the penultimate round. The winning squad consisted of Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, and Mukhiddin Madaminov, with former FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov serving as captain. Four of the five players had also been part of Uzbekistan’s gold medal team in Chennai in 2022. “The most important thing is how much attention is being paid to chess in our country,” Kasimdzhanov said at the Olympiad’s final press conference. He credited support from the president and prime minister with giving the team the conditions it needed to prepare and compete. Kasimdzhanov also pointed to the relationship among the players as an important factor in the team’s performance. “Such unity does not exist in every team. We are together, we are friends, and that helps us.” Preparations, he added, extended to details beyond the chessboard. “We did everything we could. We left nothing to chance,” he said. “Considering how important this tournament was, we carefully thought through even the smallest details.” The Samarkand victory extends Uzbekistan’s run of medals at three consecutive Olympiads: gold in Chennai in 2022, bronze in Budapest in 2024, and gold again in Samarkand. Abdusattorov also won the individual gold medal on board one in Samarkand, posting a performance rating of 2869. Kazakhstan won silver in the women’s competition after drawing 2-2 with Poland in the final round. China took gold, while India claimed bronze on tiebreak. The competition ran from September 16 to 27, following the opening ceremony on September 15. Before the tournament, FIDE said a record 400 teams had registered across the two main competitions, with 208 in the Open section and 192 in the Women’s section, surpassing the previous record set in Budapest in 2024. The home victory also came days after Uzbekistan increased financial rewards for its leading chess players. Under Presidential Resolution No. PP-346, adopted on September 21, gold at the senior World Chess Olympiad or Chess Paralympiad carries a one-time award of $200,000 for each player. The corresponding...

Chess

Kazakhstan’s Timur Turlov Elected FIDE President

Timur Turlov, founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. and president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, has been elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). At 38, he became the second-youngest person to lead FIDE and the first representative of Kazakhstan to hold the position. The election took place on September 26 in Samarkand during the FIDE General Assembly. Turlov defeated German businessman Wadim Rosenstein in the second round by 110 votes to 85. In the first round, Turlov received 96 votes and Rosenstein 76; a third German candidate, Jan Henric Buettner, received 20. Former world champion Viswanathan Anand was his running mate for deputy president. Turlov became FIDE’s eighth president, succeeding Arkady Dvorkovich, a former Russian deputy prime minister who led the organization for two terms from 2018 to 2026. “We are all one family and we will continue working as one. This is a great responsibility and a vote for a better future of our sport,” Turlov said after the results were announced. Born in 1987, Turlov has headed the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since January 2023. He chairs the Turkic Chess Association, which brings together the chess federations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. He is also the founding president of the International School Chess Federation, established in September 2024. Turlov was already a prominent figure in international chess as a major sponsor. According to FIDE, Freedom Holding Corp. allocated around $30 million to chess development in Kazakhstan over three years and supported more than 20 major international FIDE tournaments. Earlier in September, the company became General Partner of the 2026 FIDE World Championship Match. Freedom Holding Corp. is a Nasdaq-listed financial services group whose businesses include brokerage, banking, insurance, telecommunications, and digital services. Turlov founded the business in 2008, and its shares began trading on Nasdaq in 2019. According to FIDE, its market capitalization was approaching $11 billion at the time of the election. Turlov’s election coincided with major results for Central Asian teams at the Olympiad. Uzbekistan won the Open section in Samarkand after defeating Ukraine 2.5-1.5 in the final round. It was the Uzbek team’s second Olympiad gold after its victory in Chennai in 2022. India took silver and Germany bronze. Turlov’s election coincided with further success for Central Asian chess, as Uzbekistan won the open competition in Samarkand after defeating Ukraine 2.5-1.5 in the final round. It was the Uzbek team’s second Olympiad gold after its victory in Chennai in 2022. India took silver and Germany bronze. In the women’s competition, China took gold, while Kazakhstan won silver for the second consecutive Olympiad after a 2-2 draw with Poland in the final round. Kazakhstani player Elnaz Kaliakhmet won individual gold on board four, and India took bronze.

Sports Education

Kazakh National University of Sports Joins Olympic Studies Network

The Kazakh National University of Sports in Astana says it has become the first university in Central Asia to join a global network of academic Olympic studies centers. It announced the recognition on September 17. The Academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres network connects institutions researching the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. The university says around 80 such centers operate worldwide. Their work includes teaching, scientific events, and the publication of research. The network is coordinated by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne and provides a forum for cooperation between academics in different countries. The university trains coaches, physical education teachers, sports managers, and other specialists. Its training also extends to staff for rehabilitation centers and organizers of mass sporting events. It is now developing a Center for Olympic Studies, Education and Legacy, which will focus on research into the history, values, and long-term impact of the Olympic Movement. Membership in the international network will allow the Astana center to work with universities and research centers overseas and exchange research and teaching practices, the university said. The university said support from the National Olympic Committee was an important condition for recognition. It is already working with Kazakhstan’s committee on projects involving Olympic education and research. The new center is intended to bring students and lecturers into discussion with researchers and sports professionals, making Olympic studies part of the university’s sports science and education work.

Chess

Kyrgyzstan Opens National Chess Academy in Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan is linking school chess programs with advanced training as it seeks greater success internationally. The National Chess Academy opened in Bishkek on September 13, while a pilot program is introducing chess clubs for students in grades three to five at 500 schools across the country. The academy, established under the Kyrgyz Chess Union, will identify and train promising young players. It will also organize competitions and provide a permanent base where they can prepare for national and international tournaments. The academy is part of a national chess development program for 2026–2030. The program also provides for teacher training to support the school clubs and annual presidential awards for the country’s best player and coach. At the opening ceremony, Adylbek Kasymaliyev, chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, said he expected the academy to train talented players and develop a new generation capable of representing Kyrgyzstan internationally. Aida Salyanova, president of the Kyrgyz Chess Union, has said the longer-term goal is to build a system that allows players to progress from school programs to international competition. Creating that system will take longer than opening an academy or launching hundreds of clubs. Young players need years of coaching and regular competition before they can reach that level. Kyrgyzstan already has young players competing at a high level. At the 2025 national championship, International Master Eldiyar Orozbaev won the open event, while Begimai Zairbek Kyzy won the women’s title. Five of the top 10 finishers in the open event were under 20. International Master is the second-highest open title awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), below Grandmaster. Kyrgyzstan has produced one grandmaster, Leonid Yurtaev, who received the title in 1996. No player representing the country has since followed him. This expansion comes at a time of growing chess success across Central Asia. Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov won the Tata Steel Chess Masters in the Netherlands in early 2026, one of the world’s most prestigious annual tournaments. Abdusattorov later won the Prague International Chess Festival Masters and rose to fourth in FIDE’s world rankings. Uzbekistan is also hosting the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The event opened on September 15, and play began the following day. The Olympiad is FIDE’s flagship international team competition. Kazakhstan is pursuing a similar approach to chess education. Its Chess in Education program now covers 1,500 schools, while KazChessLab trains future chess teachers and develops teaching methods.

FIDE Chess Olympiad

Samarkand Expects Record Turnout for Chess Olympiad

Samarkand is preparing to host the largest Chess Olympiad yet, with organizers expecting 398 teams as Uzbekistan stages the tournament for the first time in Central Asia. The 46th Chess Olympiad opens on September 15 at the Silk Road International Tourism Center and runs until September 27, with the first round to be played on September 16, according to the official schedule. Organizers say 208 teams will compete in the Open section and 190 in the women’s competition. The expected field of 1,974 players includes 240 grandmasters. More than 4,000 guests are expected when coaches and delegation members are included. That turnout would exceed the 374 teams recorded by FIDE at the 2024 Budapest Olympiad. Both sections will be contested over eleven rounds, with four players competing for each team in every match. Teams may also register one reserve player. The Olympiad dates back to 1927. Its arrival in Samarkand brings the competition to a historic Silk Road city whose center is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Uzbekistan enters the Open competition as the third seed, according to the organizers’ figures based on average team ratings. The United States leads the seedings, ahead of defending champions India. The U.S. team includes Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Levon Aronian, while Hans Niemann is set to make his Olympiad debut. Vincent Keymer will represent Germany, and France’s squad includes Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. For Uzbekistan, Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov bring top-ten credentials to the home challenge. Sindarov is fourth in FIDE’s September rankings, while Abdusattorov is seventh. The rankings cited by the organizers also place Nodirbek Yakubboev 39th and Shamsiddin Vokhidov 61st, giving the main squad four players among the world’s top 100. Former FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov has also been named in the main Open lineup. His inclusion adds experience to a squad built around Uzbekistan’s younger grandmasters. The hosts will field three teams in each section, opening places for emerging players. Nilufarkhon Imomkuziyeva and Khumoyun Begmurodov, both 16, are among those making their Olympiad debuts. In the women’s competition, Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova is set to represent Uzbekistan after playing for the United States at the 2024 Budapest Olympiad. Nafisa Muminova, Uzbekistan’s first woman grandmaster, will serve as captain. The organizers cite Afruza Khamdamova’s position at 26th in the women’s world rankings, with Tokhirjonova 80th. Uzbekistan’s women have climbed 17 places since 2025 to 21st in FIDE’s federation rankings, while the Open side has risen 15 places to sixth. India is the top seed in the women’s competition. Kazakhstan’s lineup includes three-time women’s world blitz champion Bibisara Assaubayeva, who also won Norway Chess Women 2026, securing the title in Oslo with a round to spare. Ukraine’s first board will be 16-year-old Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, who won the European Women’s Championship in June after entering the tournament as the 76th seed. Samarkand will also host the third FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities from September 10 to 18. Organizers expect a record 41 teams, compared with 26 at the inaugural event in...

Chess

Leaked Recording Stirs Controversy Ahead of FIDE Presidential Election in Samarkand

An audio recording attributed to Russian chess organizer Mark Glukhovsky has surfaced online ahead of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) presidential election in Samarkand. In the recording, the speaker makes derogatory remarks about Uzbeks and Uzbek officials and appears to discuss bribery as one of the tactics used during the 2018 FIDE election campaign. Glukhovsky has acknowledged that a private conversation was secretly recorded but maintains that the material released online was edited and partly reworked using artificial intelligence. The Ukrainian Chess Federation published the audio on its Facebook page. Its full context and authenticity, including whether it had been edited, could not be independently verified. In it, the speaker describes his involvement in Arkady Dvorkovich’s campaign for the FIDE presidency in 2018. Glukhovsky was Dvorkovich’s campaign manager at the time. According to the speaker, the team had to work with around 200 delegates from different countries. “You need to talk to some people, send the program to some, bribe some, and connect some in an alliance with someone else,” the speaker says in the recording. Dvorkovich, a former Russian deputy prime minister, won the election and became FIDE president in 2018. He was reelected in 2022. On July 23, 2026, the European Union added Dvorkovich to its Ukraine-related sanctions list. The same day, he said he considered the sanctions unlawful and intended to challenge them, but would voluntarily suspend the exercise of his powers as FIDE president for as long as the restrictions remained in force. His duties were assumed by FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand, a former world champion, who became interim president. The recording then turns to Uzbekistan and Otabek Umarov, first vice president of the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan. The speaker questions why an Uzbek representative was part of Dvorkovich’s team and uses several offensive expressions to describe him. “Some Uzbek guy. Why the hell is this Uzbek even there?” the speaker says. He refers to Umarov’s position on the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan and appears at first to be unaware of his family connection to the president. The tone changes after the speaker says he searched for information about Umarov and learned that he is President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s son-in-law. “Then I googled him – the president’s son-in-law. That, I would say, changes things,” the speaker says in the recording. The speaker also refers to Uzbekistan’s prime minister, claiming that the official had previously assured Dvorkovich of his support. He then questions whether such a commitment would still carry weight with Umarov involved in Dvorkovich’s campaign. The recording also contains a dismissive assessment of Uzbekistan’s role in the FIDE election. “Uzbekistan’s vote by itself doesn’t matter at all,” the speaker says before making further offensive remarks about Uzbeks. The recording appeared less than a month before the FIDE presidential election. Voting will take place on September 26 during the organization’s General Assembly in Samarkand. Each member federation represented at the General Assembly is entitled to one vote. FIDE has approved three presidential tickets. Timur...