Chess at the Olympic Games: history and results

Chess is not an Olympic sport in the classical sense. Chess at the Olympic Games is represented by the Chess Olympiad, a global event that brings together more than 180 nations every two years.

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Chess and the Olympic Games: a complex history

Chess has been recognised as a sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1999, and FIDE is a fully-fledged international sporting federation. However, chess has never been part of the official Olympic Games programme. Several attempts at inclusion have failed, mainly due to its poor suitability for television and the difficulty for an uninitiated audience to follow the game.

The history of chess is nonetheless closely linked to sport: Elo ratings, national federations, arbiters, anti-doping measures… All the sporting infrastructure is in place.

The Chess Olympiad: the real Olympics of the game

Founded in 1927, the Chess Olympiad is the biggest team event in the chess calendar. Each country sends a team of 4 players (plus 1 reserve) for an 11-round tournament played under the Swiss system.

Aspect	Detail
Frequency	Every 2 years (even years)
Participants	180+ teams (open section + women’s section)
Format	11 rounds, Swiss system, 4 players per team
Time control	90 min + 30 sec/move, plus 30 min at move 40
Duration	~2 weeks
Record	USSR/Russia dominates historically (18 titles)

The record: who dominates the Olympiad?

USSR / Russia

18 gold medals in the open section. Soviet dominance (1952-1990) is one of the most overwhelming in the history of world sport.

United States

6 gold medals, including the legendary 1976 victory in Haifa with Walter Browne and Robert Byrne. The American revival with Caruana and So.

India

Historic gold medal in 2022 in Chennai. Led by prodigies Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi, India is the new chess superpower.

China

Dominant in the women’s section with 7 gold medals. The Chinese school has been producing elite players since the 1990s.

France at the Olympiad

France, with players such as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL, world top 10 for a decade), Alireza Firouzja, Etienne Bacrot and Laurent Fressinet, is a respectable force but has never won gold. France’s best performances remain top 10 finishes.

Among the best players in the world, MVL and Firouzja are the spearheads of the French team and carry the nation’s hopes at every edition.

🇫🇷 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave reached a rating of 2819 Elo in 2016, making him the highest-rated French player of all time. He specialises in the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence.

How to follow and take part

The Olympiad is broadcast live on the major chess platforms, with commentary from grandmasters. It is a fascinating spectacle even for spectators of modest playing standard.

To discover the world of competition. The link between chess and the Olympics is a recurring question among chess players, take a look at our guide on how to take part in tournaments — from local tournaments to national championships that select the Olympic teams.

The path to the Olympiad: local club → departmental championships → regional championships → Top 12 (French team championship) → selection for the French national team. It all begins with an FFE membership at a club.

The Chess Olympiad is the only global sporting event where 180 nations compete simultaneously, without any physical barriers. It is the pure democracy of intelligence.

— Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President