The Turkmen team started the 46th World chess Olympiad in Samarkand with victories
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Teams of the men and women of Turkmenistan made a brilliant start to the 46 th World chess Olympiad, which is being held from 15 th to 27 th of September, 2026, at the Silk Road Samarkand International exhibition centre.
Teams of the men and women of Turkmenistan made a brilliant start to the 46 th World chess Olympiad, which is being held from 15 th to 27 th of September, 2026, at the Silk Road Samarkand International exhibition centre. For the first time in history, premier of the world team competition under the auspices of FIDE is being hosted by a Central Asian country – Uzbekistan. The Olympiad has already set a record for the number of participants: 206 teams are vying for victory in the open tournament, and 190 in the women's tournament, which brings the total number of chess players to approximately two thousand and surpasses the previous record of 380 teams set at Budapest 2024.
The competition is held in 11 rounds using the Swiss system with matches on four boards. Both Turkmen teams finished the first round match with a crushing score of 4:0. The chief referee of the tournament is Ivan Syrovy from Slovakia.
In the open tournament, the men's team of Turkmenistan, seeded 65 th with an average rating of 2383, left no chance for the team from East Timor (seeded 168 th ). On the first board, international grandmaster Saparmyrat Atabayev, with a rating of 2503, confidently defeated Helder de Araujo, with a rating of 1905. On the second board, FIDE Master Amanmuhammet Hommadov (2389) defeated Andrade Pinto (1820). Shahruh Turayev (2222) proved stronger than Paulo Fernandes de Carvalho (1810) on the third board, and on the fourth board Vepaly Halynyyazov (2257) outplayed Mario Melo Nascimento (1788). Grandmaster Meylis Annaberdiyev (2384) remained in reserve in the opening round. The captain of the men's team is Honoured Coach of Turkmenistan Serdar Annaberdiyev.
The women's team of Turkmenistan (55 th seed, average rating 2057), led by captain Mergen Kakabayev, also convincingly defeated the representatives of Liechtenstein (151 st seed). On the first board, FIDE Women's candidate master Leyla Shohradova (2101) defeated Timea Sele (1790). On the second board, FIDE Women's Master Jahan Rejepova (2027) surpassed Sophie Mannhart (1533). Mahri Agamyradova (1939) defeated Thelma Martinez Hengevoss (1499) on board three, and Ogulsuray Bayrambayeva (1952) crushed unrated player Doris Heron on board four. The team leader, FIDE Women's Master Lala Shohradova (2147), rested in the first round.
Our chess players face an ambitious goal: to repeat and surpass the success of two years ago in Budapest, where the men's team became the best in the B rating category, and the women's team won the C category. In addition to competing for high places in their groups, athletes aim to achieve International Masters standards and improve their personal rankings.
The key factor for a successful start was quality preparation. Following a training camp in Kokshetau in May and June and a series of online classes during the summer, Turkmen athletes held a two-week training camp in Kazakhstan immediately before the Olympics under the guidance of international grandmaster Alexander Rahmanov. This training was organised within the framework of the Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI) programme in cooperation with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, which Turkmenistan joined in 2026.
In the second round, the Turkmen chess players will face serious tests against the favourites: the men's team will play Serbia (15 th seed, average rating 2616), and the women's team will face a powerful team from Poland (9 th seed). The main favourites of the entire Olympics are considered to be the teams of the USA, India, Uzbekistan and China among men, and India, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China among women.
In parallel with the main battles of the Olympiad, the 3rd FIDE Olympiad for people with disabilities and the next FIDE Congress are taking place in Samarkand. The tournament continues. The only rest day before the decisive rounds is scheduled for the 22 nd of September.