Uzbekistan and China Win Gold at 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand
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In brief
Uzbekistan won gold in the open section and China topped the women's event at the 46th Chess Olympiad, held September 15–27, 2026, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan beat Ukraine 2.5–1.5 in the final round for its second title, while China defeated Vietnam 3–1 for its seventh women's crown.
The 46th Chess Olympiad ran from September 15 to 27, 2026, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre. According to the tournament's records summarized on Wikipedia, 395 teams and 1,961 players from 204 national federations took part in the open and women's sections combined, with matches held under the Swiss system over 11 rounds.
Open section: hosts close out with gold
Uzbekistan beat Ukraine 2.5–1.5 in the final round to win the open title, according to FIDE's event report. It was Uzbekistan's second Olympiad gold after its first title in Chennai in 2022; four of the five players from that squad were on the 2026 roster, FIDE said. India finished second after a 2–2 draw with Hungary, and Germany took bronze after a 2.5–1.5 win over the Netherlands, according to Chess.com.
On board one, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan posted an individual performance rating of 2869 over 11 games, the highest of the tournament, according to FIDE and Chess.com. Reserve-board player Mukhiddin Madaminov finished unbeaten at 5.5 points from seven games and delivered the decisive win against Ukraine's Roman Dehtiarov in the final round, according to Chess.com.
Finally we won — I won a 2nd Olympiad before I became 21 so I'm very happy!
— Javokhir Sindarov, Uzbekistan team player, quoted by Chess.com
Women's section: China returns to the top
China won the women's title by beating Vietnam 3–1 in the last round, finishing two match points ahead of Kazakhstan, which took silver, and India, which won bronze, according to FIDE and Chess.com. It was China's seventh Olympiad gold in the women's event and its first since 2018, according to Wikipedia's tournament summary.
Board-one player Zhu Jiner went undefeated through nine games for China and recorded the highest individual performance rating of the women's event, 2638, Chess.com reported. Sixteen-year-old Lu Miaoyi also finished unbeaten on board three, scoring 9.5 points from 11 games, according to FIDE.
Other results from Samarkand
India finished on the podium in both the open and women's events, a result that earned the Indian federation the Gaprindashvili Cup for the best combined team performance, according to FIDE and Wikipedia's tournament summary. The Olympiad was held alongside the FIDE General Assembly, where Kazakhstan's Timur Turlov was elected the organization's new president on September 26, defeating Germany's Wadim Rosenstein 110 votes to 85 in a second-round runoff, according to FIDE and ChessBase.
46th Chess Olympiad — final standings
Event
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Open
Uzbekistan
India
Germany
Women's
China
Kazakhstan
India
Background
The Chess Olympiad is FIDE's biennial team championship, held for the open section since 1927 and for the women's section since 1957. Uzbekistan's only previous open title came in 2022 in Chennai, India, while China's last women's gold before 2026 was in 2018, according to Wikipedia's Olympiad records.
Questions
Who won the 46th Chess Olympiad?
Uzbekistan won the open section and China won the women's section at the 46th Chess Olympiad, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 27, 2026.
What was the final score in the open final round?
Uzbekistan beat Ukraine 2.5–1.5 in the last round to secure the open gold medal, according to FIDE's event report.
Who had the best individual performance?
Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan posted the highest performance rating in the open event (2869 over 11 games), while Zhu Jiner of China recorded the top rating in the women's event (2638), according to Chess.com.
Who was elected FIDE president during the Olympiad?
Timur Turlov of Kazakhstan was elected FIDE president on September 26, 2026, defeating Germany's Wadim Rosenstein 110 votes to 85 in a runoff, according to FIDE and ChessBase.
Did India win any medals?
Yes — India won silver in the open event and bronze in the women's event, and also received the Gaprindashvili Cup for the best combined team result, according to FIDE.
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