15th World Champion Viswanathan Anand shared his opinion about the national teams at the 46th Chess Olympiad. Vishy names China, Uzbekistan, and India as serious contenders, and notes the India-Uzbekistan rivalry.

Viswanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand

15th World Champion

“We already saw China was well, the Chinese team, which played in Hong Kong, was kind of similar to the main team. And I think China will be a serious contender, as will be Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is even stronger now, and there’s an India-Uzbekistan rivalry as well. So those are the teams that, I think, are going to fight for the crown.”

From June 17 to 21 in Hong Kong, the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Chess Championships 2026 took place. In the Rapid section, the Chinese team Ding Chilling took 1st place, the Indian team MGD1 took 2nd, and the Uzbekistan team took 7th place. In the Blitz section, Ding Chilling won the tournament, team Uzbekistan took 3rd place, and the Indian teams MGD1 and Chessgurukul were eliminated in the Quarterfinals.

The Chess Olympiad is a prestigious national team competition. The event is held every two years and organized by FIDE. The 2026 Olympiad will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 27. In 2024, India won gold in both the men’s and women’s groups.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE