Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation Alexander Tkachev made an announcement on August 24. The FIDE Council did not allow the Russian men’s and women’s national teams to compete in the Chess Olympiad 2026.

Alexander Tkachev

Alexander Tkachev

Russian Chess Federation Executive Director

“Our teams will not participate in the World Chess Olympiad. At the initiative of the acting FIDE President Mr. Viswanathan Anand, this decision was made by the council.

Fortunately, there are people who put the game above political matters and do not worry about their own careers. But there are also people who put personal interests above, and there are still more of them on the council.

This time they won.”

The Chess Olympiad is a prestigious national team competition. The event is held every two years and organized by FIDE. The 2026 event will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 28. The men’s and women’s teams of Russia will miss the third Olympiad in a row.

Credit: Anna Shtourman / FIDE