Chess Olympiad All Time Winners List, Results, History, Rules, Format

Know the full winners list of the Chess Olympiad, the all-time winners and the history of the tournament including latest format of the competition

The Chess Olympiad is an international chess competition held every two years in which teams from all around the world compete. The event is organised by FIDE, which also chooses the host country. FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 and 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a quick time control that damaged participants’ online ratings.

The term “Chess Olympiad” was given to FIDE’s team championship for historical reasons and has no link to the Olympic Games.

Chess Olympiad All Time Winners List, Results, History, Rules, Format

History of Chess Olympiad and All Edition Details

The first Olympiad was an unauthorized competition. An attempt was made to incorporate chess in the Olympic Games for the 1924 Olympics, but it failed due to difficulties discriminating between amateur and professional players. While the 1924 Summer Olympics were being held in Paris, the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad was also held there. FIDE was founded on the final day of the first unofficial Chess Olympiad, July 20, 1924.

The first official Olympiad, held in London in 1927, was organised by FIDE. Until World War II, the Olympiads were held annually and at irregular intervals; since 1950, they have been held every two years.

All-time Winners of Chess Olympiad

Chess Olympiad Format, Trophy, And Other Details

A team from any FIDE-recognized chess organization can compete in the Olympiad. Each team consists of up to five players: four regulars and one reserve. At first, each team competed against all other teams, but as the event increased in popularity, this became untenable. Prior to the competition, the teams were seeded. Later, significant flaws in seeding were identified, and a Swiss tournament format was implemented in 1976.

The Hamilton-Russell Cup, which was presented by English magnate Frederick Hamilton-Russell as a prize for the 1st Olympiad, is awarded to the winning team in the open section. The victorious team keeps the cup until the following event.

Chess Olympiad Best Performing Nations

In the history of Chess Olympiad, Soviet Union and Russia have been the most successful teams followed by United States. Meanwhile, India has won three medals in the Chess Olympiad including one gold medal.

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