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Uzbekistan Wins Open Gold at 2026 Chess Olympiad

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 10:36 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Uzbekistan Wins Open

Uzbekistan won Open gold at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
India took Open silver and Germany bronze, each scoring 18 match points.
China captured women’s gold with 20 points while Kazakhstan took silver with 18.
Timur Turlov was elected FIDE president with 110 of 196 votes, the youngest ever.
The Olympiad featured a record 400 teams, with 208 Open and 192 women’s entries.

Summary

Qatar Boosts Chess

Qatar Chess Association president Mohammed Al Mudahka announced new preparation programs and more international tournaments to boost Qatar’s chess future.
Qatar players Hamad Al Kuwari, Irfan Mohammed, Turki Al Kuwari, Khalid Al Jumaat and Mohammed Jerbi won Category E gold.
Khalid Al Jumaat earned the Candidate Master title and Mohammed Jerbi earned the FIDE Master title.
FIDE Treasurer Zhu Chen and Advisor Hamad Al Tamimi represented Qatar among officials at the assembly.

History

Historical Context

FIDE’s drive to broaden its base began under presidents Max Euwe (1970-78) and Florencio Campomanes (1982-95), who expanded voting to every national federation, a policy reinforced when the IOC recognized FIDE in 1999 and the body now counts 201 members. After imposing bans on Russia and Belarus in 2022, the 2026 election of Timur Turlov as president succeeded Arkady Dvorkovich.

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Uzbekistan Wins Open

Uzbekistan won Open gold at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
India took Open silver and Germany bronze, each scoring 18 match points.
China captured women’s gold with 20 points while Kazakhstan took silver with 18.
Timur Turlov was elected FIDE president with 110 of 196 votes, the youngest ever.
The Olympiad featured a record 400 teams, with 208 Open and 192 women’s entries.

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