Azerbaijani GM Aydin Suleymanli spoke about his plans before the 46th Chess Olympiad. Suleymanli says he wants to get playing practice before the Olympiad, and notes that his team wants to bring a medal to Azerbaijan for the first time.

Aydin Suleymanli

Aydin Suleymanli

Azerbaijani GM

“Before the Olympiad, I will play in the Turkish league. My main goal there is to get playing practice.

And this applies not only to me. The main goal of all Azerbaijani chess players is to approach the Olympiad as prepared as possible. We all really want to bring a medal from this competition to Azerbaijan for the first time.

I hope we can do it!”

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. Azerbaijan finished 5th at the 2014 Olympiad. This result is the best in the country’s history.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE