England team captain Nikita Vitiugov shared his views on his roster for the upcoming Chess Olympiad 2026. Vitiugov calls his team amateur, and notes he has no expectations of winning a medal. Nikita shared his opinion in an interview with Oleg Barantsev.

Nikita Vitiugov

Nikita Vitiugov

England team captain

“[Question: What are your expectations? A team of veterans?]

A team of amateurs.

However, this could be said about any England team, since chess does not have professional sports status in the UK.

This is my fourth tournament for the England team. Twice at the European Team Championships we were close to medals, but we did not manage to finish successfully.

I have no expectations. There are 15 teams stronger than us in Samarkand right now.”

The Chess Olympiad is a prestigious national team competition. The event is held every two years and organized by FIDE. England’s best result at the Olympiad is a silver medal. England finished second three times in a row at the 1984, 1986, and 1988 events.

Credit: John Saunders