Samarkand hosted the Chess Olympiad, and Uzbekistan won gold at home

For two weeks in September Samarkand was the chess capital of the world. The 46th Chess Olympiad ran from 15 to 27 September 2026 and brought together teams from around the world. And the home team finished on top.

A home win

In the final round Uzbekistan beat Ukraine 2.5–1.5 and took gold in the Open section, its second Olympiad title after 2022. Four of the five players who won in 2022 did it again, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov on board one. In the Women’s section gold went to China.

Where it happened

The games were played at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre in the Silk Road Samarkand complex. The opening ceremony filled the open-air Boqiy Shahar amphitheatre in the complex’s Eternal City, on the banks of the Silk Road canal, with more than 2,000 spectators.

The complex is easy to combine with the Registan and Shah-i-Zinda in the historic centre. How we plan the city is in Samarkand in 1, 2 and 3 days, and ready-made routes are among our Samarkand tours.