Ian Nepomniachtchi discussed Russia’s theoretical chances at the 2026 Chess Olympiad. Nepo says that the Russian roster would be stronger than Germany, France, and England. Ian notes that the ratings of Russian players are underrated due to the small number of available tournaments.

Ian Nepomniachtchi

Ian Nepomniachtchi

Russia's No. 1

“Why am I not at the Olympiad? Because Russia was not allowed, so to speak…

By the way, I think we would definitely have fought for the Top 3. Our roster isn’t that bad. I think it’s better than Germany, England, or France, for example. In terms of names, ratings, and so on.

I think by average rating we wouldn’t be very low there. Considering that, in general, the ratings of all Russians are objectively deflated right now. Because there are no round-robin tournaments at all that we play in.

There are only various opens. And in opens, it does not scale very well.”

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

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE