10.09.2026
From September 15 to 27, 2026, Samarkand will take center stage in the global chess community. Silk Road Samarkand will host the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad — one of the largest and most prestigious team competitions on the international chess calendar.
For nearly two weeks, national teams and leading chess players from around the world will gather in Samarkand. The Olympiad will be held in two sections — Open and Women. Teams will compete over 11 rounds to determine the winners of the world’s premier team chess event.
The official opening ceremony will take place on September 15, followed by the first round on September 16. The competition will conclude on September 27 with the 11th and final round, followed by the closing ceremony.
During the Olympiad, Samarkand will become a focal point not only for world-class competition but also for major strategic developments in the global chess community. The Congress of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) will take place alongside the tournament, bringing together representatives of national chess federations and FIDE’s governing bodies.
One of the key events of the Congress will be the FIDE General Assembly on September 26, which will include the election of the President of the International Chess Federation for the next four-year term. Three candidates will compete for the FIDE presidency: Jan Henric Buettner, Vadim Rosenstein and Timur Turlov.
Samarkand will also host the decision on which country will earn the right to stage the 2030 FIDE Chess Olympiad.
Throughout these days, Silk Road Samarkand will become a place where world-class sport, international cooperation and decisions shaping the future of global chess come together.
This September, Samarkand welcomes the world of chess.
