The English Chess Federation announced the men’s and women’s national rosters for the 46th Chess Olympiad. The event will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 28.

Men’s roster:

  • Nikita Vitiugov (2666)
  • Gawain Jones (2639)
  • Michael Adams (2622)
  • Luke McShane (2597)
  • Daniel Fernandez (2539)

Women’s roster:

  • Bodhana Sivanandan (2359)
  • Lan Yao (2308)
  • Harriet Hunt (2299)
  • Jovanka Houska (2297)
  • Elmira Mirzoeva (2287)

England’s No. 2 David Howell will not participate in the Olympiad. David announced his retirement from professional chess on March 20.

The event features a 90+30 time control for the first 40 moves and 30+30 for the rest of the game over 11 rounds in the Swiss System between around 200 teams. In case of a tie for first place, the winning team will be determined on tiebreaks.

The Chess Olympiad is a prestigious national team competition. The event is held every two years and organized by FIDE. The 2026 Olympiad follows the 2024 edition held in Budapest, Hungary, where India won gold in both the men’s and women’s groups.

Credit: David Howell X