Ahead of the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026 in Uzbekistan, the reigning Indian chess team encountered serious difficulties. After arriving in Samarkand, including players and support staff, the team had to wait for their accommodation for about five hours.
The team's non-playing captain and grandmaster Srinath Narayanan expressed his dissatisfaction with this situation on social media. He reported that even after five hours of arrival at Samarkand airport, the players had not been allocated rooms, and there was no clarity regarding check-in times.
Srinath Narayanan shared his indignation on the social network X, noting that the Indian team's experience at the Olympiad was not the most successful. He emphasized that after waiting five hours at Samarkand airport, rooms were still not assigned, and the team was not provided with information about check-in time.
Indian grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi also raised similar complaints, reacting on social media. He described his experience in Samarkand as extremely negative, stating: 'The first impression of Samarkand, Uzbekistan Olympiad 2026 is very bad. Still waiting.'
This chess tournament is of great importance for the Indian contingent, as they are competing as reigning champions. Previously, at the Budapest Chess Championship 2024, the Indian men's and women's teams won gold medals, setting a historical precedent. This time, India has also fielded very strong lineups in both divisions.
The men's team is led by one of the world's leading players, D. Gukesh. Other members of the men's squad include Arjun Erigasi, R. Pragyananda, Nihal Sarin, and Vidit Gujrathi. The women's team includes Koneru Humpy, R. Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Savita Sri B.
The Chess Olympiad is considered one of the most prestigious team events in the world of chess. The tournament will begin on September 15th with the opening ceremony, followed by 11 rounds of classical games. This year, a new record for the number of participants is expected to be set: a total of 400 teams are registered in the open and women's sections. This exceeds the previous record of 380 teams set at the Budapest Olympiad 2024 (208 teams in the open section and 192 teams in the women's section).