Russia’s national chess team will not compete at the 2026 Chess Olympiad, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 15 to 27 September.
İdman.Biz reports, citing FIDE, that the Russian team is not included among the squads announced for the Olympiad.
The decision follows the temporary suspension of the Russian Chess Federation’s membership in June 2026. FIDE’s Council said the federation had failed to meet the requirements set out in a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within the prescribed timeframe.
Under the CAS ruling, the Russian Chess Federation was required to suspend its specialised chess activities in Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, for 90 days.
FIDE said the requirements had not been fulfilled and therefore suspended the Russian federation’s membership with immediate effect. At the same time, the governing body stressed that individual Russian players remain eligible to compete in international events in accordance with FIDE regulations.
Interestingly, in December 2025, the FIDE General Assembly approved the return of Russian and Belarusian teams to official competitions. Under that decision, the teams were allowed to compete, although restrictions on the use of the national flag and anthem remained in place at senior events.
Restrictions on Belarus were fully lifted in July 2026. Under FIDE’s decision, the Belarusian national team will compete under its own flag at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
