chess Olympiad

The first Olympiad was unofficial. For the 1924 Olympics an attempt was made to include chess in the Olympic Games but this failed because of problems with distinguishing between amateur and professional players.{{citation|author=Brace, Edward R.|year=1977|title=An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess|publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group|isbn=1-55521-394-4|page=64}}

While the 1924 Summer Olympics was taking place in Paris, the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad also took place in Paris. FIDE was formed on Sunday, July 20, 1924, the closing day of the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad.[https://web.archive.org/web/20041121043246/http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/fide.htm FIDE History] by Bill Wall. Retrieved 2 May 2008.

FIDE organised the first Official Olympiad in 1927 which took place in London. The Olympiads were occasionally held annually and at irregular intervals until World War II; since 1950 they have been held regularly every two years.

Image:Fischer Score Card.jpg's score card from his round 3 game against Miguel Najdorf in the 1970 Chess Olympiad]]

As a sporting federation recognized by the IOC, and particularly as a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) conventions,{{cite web|url=https://www.wada-ama.org/en/code-signatories|title=Code Signatories|website=World Anti-Doping Agency|access-date=16 October 2017}} FIDE adheres to their rules, including a requirement for doping tests,[http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/2760-1251-complete-fide-anti-doping-documents Complete FIDE Anti-Doping Documents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608190323/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/2760-1251-complete-fide-anti-doping-documents |date=8 June 2020 }} FIDE official website. Retrieved 2 May 2008.{{cite web|url=https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/7189-chess-wada-anti-doping-policy-nutrition-and-health.html|title=Chess WADA – Anti-Doping Policy, Nutrition and Health|last=AM|website=www.fide.com|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516005653/https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/7189-chess-wada-anti-doping-policy-nutrition-and-health.html|url-status=dead}} which they are obligated to take at the events such as the Olympiad. The tests were first introduced in 2002 under significant controversy,[https://web.archive.org/web/20080517071533/http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/drugslet.html Open letter from 50 players on drug testing (Web Archive)] with the widespread belief that it was impossible to dope in chess. Research carried out by the Dutch chess federation failed to find a single performance-enhancing substance for chess.{{cite web|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/controversy-over-fide-doping-check|title=Controversy over FIDE doping check|date=27 October 2002|access-date=16 October 2017}} According to Dr Helmut Pfleger, who has been conducting experiments in the field for around twenty years, "Both mentally stimulating and mentally calming medication have too many negative side effects". Players such as Artur Yusupov,{{cite web|url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/controversy-over-fide-doping-check|title=Controversy over FIDE doping check|date=27 October 2002|access-date=16 October 2017}} Jan Timman{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2002/11/04/stories/2002110402091800.htm|website=The Hindu|title=Indian men beat U.S.|date=2002-11-04|access-date=16 October 2017}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and Robert Hübner{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/outrage-over-ivanchuk-the-great-chess-doping-scandal-a-595819.html|title=Outrage Over Ivanchuk: The Great Chess Doping Scandal|first=Maik|last=Grossekathöfer|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=11 December 2008|access-date=16 October 2017|via=Spiegel Online}} either refused to play for their national team or to participate in events such as the Chess Olympiad where drug tests were administered. All 802 tests administered at the 2002 Olympiad came back negative.{{cite web|url=http://www.chess.com/blog/billwall/drug-testing-and-chess|title=Top Chess Blogs - Chess.com|website=Chess.com|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310124931/http://www.chess.com/blog/billwall/drug-testing-and-chess|archive-date=2016-03-10|url-status=dead}} However, in the 36th Chess Olympiad in 2004, two players refused to provide urine samples and had their scores cancelled.{{cite web|url=http://www.doping.nl/media/kb/2656/Miller_Panel.pdf|title=Decision of the FIDE Doping Hearing Panel (Miller)|access-date=16 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.doping.nl/media/kb/2655/FIDE%202004_Shaun%20Press_Decision.pdf|title=Decision of the FIDE Doping Hearing Panel (Press)|access-date=16 October 2017}} Four years later, Vasyl Ivanchuk was not penalized for skipping a drug test at the 38th Chess Olympiad in 2008, with a procedural error being indicated instead.{{cite web|url=http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/3704-decision-of-the-fide-doping-hearing-panel|title=Decision of the FIDE Doping Hearing Panel|website=www.fide.com|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-date=23 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123144930/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/3704-decision-of-the-fide-doping-hearing-panel|url-status=dead}}

In 2010, a FIDE official commented that due to the work of the FIDE Medical Commission, the tests were now considered routine.[https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2011/fide_news/Annexes/Minutes_of_FIDE_GA_2010.pdf Minutes of 2010 FIDE General Assembly] (page 24) In November 2015, FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced they are working with WADA to define and identify doping in chess.{{cite web|url=http://www.interfax.ru/sport/481285|title=ФИДЕ и ВАДА будут совместно выявлять допинг в шахматах|date=24 November 2015|access-date=16 October 2017}}

Each FIDE-recognized chess association can enter a team into the Olympiad. Each team is made of up to five players, four regular players and one reserve (prior to the tournament in Dresden 2008 there were two reserves[http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/3005-fide-submitts-regulation-changes-for-chess-olympiad FIDE submits regulation changes for Chess Olympiad] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205062607/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/3005-fide-submitts-regulation-changes-for-chess-olympiad |date=5 December 2008 }} Fide.com).

Initially each team played all other teams but as the event grew over the years this became impossible. At first team seeding took place before the competition, with teams playing in preliminary groups and then finals. Later certain drawbacks were recognized with seeding and in 1976 a Swiss tournament system was adopted. Starting from 2008, the first criterion for determining ranking has been match points instead of board points. Teams score 2 points for a match win, 1 point for a drawn match and 0 points for a match loss.

The trophy for the winning team in the open section is the Hamilton-Russell Cup, which was offered by the English magnate Frederick Hamilton-Russell as a prize for the 1st Olympiad (London 1927). The cup is kept by the winning team until the next event, when it is consigned to the next winner.

There is a separate women's competition. Since 1976 it has been held at the same time and venue as the open event, with the two competitions comprising the Chess Olympiad. The trophy for the winning women's team is known as the Vera Menchik Cup in honor of the first Women's World Chess Champion. Judit Polgár from Hungary is the only player who won Chess Olympiad medals in both competitions – two gold medals in the women's event (1988, 1990) and two silver medals in the open event (2002, 2014).

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{{clear}}

* In 1976, the {{flag|Soviet Union|1955}}, other Communist countries and Arabic countries did not compete for political reasons.

^† FIDE organized the online olympiads in 2020 and 2021 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

^‡ Russia and India were subsequently declared joint winners after several Indian team members experienced connectivity issues due to a global outage of Cloudflare servers in 2020 Online Chess Olympiad.

^§ The 2022 event was originally planned to be held in Minsk, Belarus, but it was rescheduled to Moscow, which originally was host of the 2020 Olympiad, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIDE made a statement in February 2022 that the tournament will not take place in Russia and will be shifted to Chennai, India.

This trophy was created by FIDE in 1997 and named after Nona Gaprindashvili, the former women's World Champion (1962–1978). The trophy is awarded to the team that has the best overall performance across the open and women's divisions.

Russia won this trophy six times, China – three times, India and Ukraine – two times each.

Image:OdznakaOS.jpg 1935 by Jerzy Steifer]]

The table contains the Open teams ranked by the medals won at the Chess Olympiad (not including the online or unofficial events), ranked by the number of first-place medals, ties broken by second-place medals, etc.

{{Medals table

| caption =

| host =

| flag_template = flagcountry

| event =

| team =

| gold_URS = 18 | silver_URS = 1 | bronze_URS = 0 | name_URS = {{URS}}

| gold_USA = 6 | silver_USA = 7 | bronze_USA = 8

| gold_RUS = 6 | silver_RUS = 3 | bronze_RUS = 3

| gold_HUN = 3 | silver_HUN = 7 | bronze_HUN = 2

| gold_ARM = 3 | silver_ARM = 1 | bronze_ARM = 3

| gold_UKR = 2 | silver_UKR = 2 | bronze_UKR = 3

| gold_CHN = 2 | silver_CHN = 1 | bronze_CHN = 0

| gold_YUG = 1 | silver_YUG = 6 | bronze_YUG = 6 | name_YUG = {{YUG}}

| gold_POL = 1 | silver_POL = 2 | bronze_POL = 3

| gold_GER = 1 | silver_GER = 1 | bronze_GER = 1

| gold_UZB = 1 | silver_UZB = 1 | bronze_UZB = 1

| gold_IND = 1 | silver_IND = 0 | bronze_IND = 2

| gold_ENG = 0 | silver_ENG = 3 | bronze_ENG = 3

| gold_ARG = 0 | silver_ARG = 3 | bronze_ARG = 2

| gold_TCH = 0 | silver_TCH = 2 | bronze_TCH = 1 | name_TCH = {{TCH}}

| gold_ISR = 0 | silver_ISR = 1 | bronze_ISR = 1

| gold_NED = 0 | silver_NED = 1 | bronze_NED = 1

| gold_SWE = 0 | silver_SWE = 1 | bronze_SWE = 1

| gold_BIH = 0 | silver_BIH = 1 | bronze_BIH = 0

| gold_DEN = 0 | silver_DEN = 1 | bronze_DEN = 0

| gold_FRG = 0 | silver_FRG = 0 | bronze_FRG = 2 | name_FRG = {{FRG}}

| gold_BUL = 0 | silver_BUL = 0 | bronze_BUL = 1

| gold_EST = 0 | silver_EST = 0 | bronze_EST = 1

}}

The table contains teams ranked by total number of medals won at the Chess Olympiad (not including the online or unofficial events) in the Open event (since 1927) and Women's event (since 1957), ranked by the number of first-place medals, ties broken by second-place medals, etc.

{{Medals table

| caption =

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| gold_URS = 29 | silver_URS = 3 | bronze_URS = 0 | name_URS = {{URS}}

| gold_RUS = 9 | silver_RUS = 6 | bronze_RUS = 6

| gold_CHN = 8 | silver_CHN = 5 | bronze_CHN = 4

| gold_USA = 6 | silver_USA = 8 | bronze_USA = 10

| gold_HUN = 5 | silver_HUN = 12 | bronze_HUN = 4

| gold_UKR = 4 | silver_UKR = 5 | bronze_UKR = 6

| gold_GEO = 4 | silver_GEO = 2 | bronze_GEO = 3

| gold_ARM = 3 | silver_ARM = 1 | bronze_ARM = 3

| gold_IND = 2 | silver_IND = 0 | bronze_IND = 3

| gold_YUG = 1 | silver_YUG = 7 | bronze_YUG = 7 | name_YUG = {{YUG}}

| gold_POL = 1 | silver_POL = 3 | bronze_POL = 5

| gold_GER = 1 | silver_GER = 1 | bronze_GER = 1

| gold_ISR = 1 | silver_ISR = 1 | bronze_ISR = 1

| gold_UZB = 1 | silver_UZB = 1 | bronze_UZB = 1

| gold_ROU = 0 | silver_ROU = 5 | bronze_ROU = 2

| gold_ENG = 0 | silver_ENG = 4 | bronze_ENG = 3

| gold_ARG = 0 | silver_ARG = 3 | bronze_ARG = 2

| gold_TCH = 0 | silver_TCH = 2 | bronze_TCH = 2 | name_TCH = {{TCH}}

| gold_BUL = 0 | silver_BUL = 1 | bronze_BUL = 2

| gold_NED = 0 | silver_NED = 1 | bronze_NED = 1

| gold_SWE = 0 | silver_SWE = 1 | bronze_SWE = 1

| gold_BIH = 0 | silver_BIH = 1 | bronze_BIH = 0

| gold_DEN = 0 | silver_DEN = 1 | bronze_DEN = 0

| gold_KAZ = 0 | silver_KAZ = 1 | bronze_KAZ = 0

| gold_GDR = 0 | silver_GDR = 0 | bronze_GDR = 3 | name_GDR = {{GDR}}

| gold_FRG = 0 | silver_FRG = 0 | bronze_FRG = 3 | name_FRG = {{FRG}}

| gold_EST = 0 | silver_EST = 0 | bronze_EST = 1

| gold_ESP = 0 | silver_ESP = 0 | bronze_ESP = 1

}}

Boldface denotes active chess players and highest medal count among all players (including these who not included in these tables) per type.

The table shows players who have won at least 7 team medals in total at the Chess Olympiads.

The best individual results in order of overall percentage are:

Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-76052-0335, Schacholympiade, Tal (UdSSR) gegen Fischer (USA).jpg

;Notes

• Only players participating in at least four Olympiads are included in this table.
• Medals indicated in the order gold - silver - bronze. The statistics of individual medals includes only medals which are awarding to the top three individual players on each board. The medals for overall performance rating (awarded in 1984–2006) are not included into this statistics, but are listed separately below the table.
• Anatoly Karpov won another individual silver medal for overall performance rating. In total he won 3 gold and 1 silver individual medals.
• Garry Kasparov played his first four Olympiads for the Soviet Union, the rest for Russia. He won another four individual gold medals and one individual silver medal for overall performance rating. In total he won 7 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze individual medals.
• Paul Keres played his first three Olympiads for Estonia, the rest for the Soviet Union.

{{clear}}

{{portal|Chess}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Correspondence Chess Olympiad
• European Chess Club Cup
• European Team Chess Championship
• Mind Sports Organisation
• USSR and Russia versus the Rest of the World
• Women's Chess Olympiad
• Women's World Chess Championship
• World Chess Championship
• World Mind Sports Games
• World Team Chess Championship

{{div col end}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=23&view=category FIDE Handbook: Chess Olympiads]
• [http://www.olimpbase.org OlimpBase: Chess Olympiads]
• Student Chess Olympiad - [https://web.archive.org/web/20200923141037/http://www.olimpbase.org/index.html?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olimpbase.org%2Fyouth%2Fstud_history.html World Student Team Chess Championship]

{{Chess Olympiads}}

{{Chess}}

{{Chess international championships}}

{{World Chess Championships}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1924

Category:Biennial sporting events

Category:Team chess competitions

Category:FIDE competitions