Chess Olympiad - Chess Terms (2024)

Is chess an Olympic sport? No, but we do have the Chess Olympiad! Let's learn all about this historic and celebrated chess event.

Here is what you need to know about the Chess Olympiad:

• What Is The Chess Olympiad?
• Why Is The Chess Olympiad Important?
• Chess Olympiad History
• Conclusion

What Is The Chess Olympiad?

The Chess Olympiad is a worldwide chess event where teams of top players compete for their respective nations. The best players in the world represent their countries on a global level. FIDE, the International Chess Federation, selects the host nation (the country that hosts the tournament) and organizes the tournament.

FIDE is the International Olympic Committee's governing chess body, but this event does not have any official ties to the Olympics.In essence, the winner of the Chess Olympiad is the strongest chess nation of that time and is considered FIDE's Team Champion.

Why Is The Chess Olympiad Important?

The Chess Olympiad crowns the strongest national team and is a very popular global event.The first unofficial Chess Olympiad took place in Paris in 1924. There was an attempt to enter chess into the 1924 Olympics, but there was difficulty in proving which players were considered amateur and which were considered professional.

FIDE was created on the closing day of this first unofficial Chess Olympiad and has officially overseen every Olympiad since 1927. At times the Olympiad was held annually, and then irregularly before and during World War II.Since the 1950 Dubrovnik Olympiad (where the famous Dubrovnik chess set design was introduced), the Olympiad has been held every two years.

Chess Olympiad History

The Soviet Union has the most gold medals with 18. From 1952 through 1990 the Soviet Union placed first in every Olympiad except for two (they did not participate in 1976 for political reasons and placed second in 1978).As of 2020, the United States and Russia both have six gold medals, while the United States has the most total medals with 20.

China won their first Olympiad in 2014. The United States won in 2016, and then China took back the championship at the 2018 Olympiad. They will look to retain the Hamilton-Russell championship cup (offered as the prize in the first official Olympiad in 1927 and passed to the winning team at every Olympiad since). The trophy for the gold medal women's team is called the Vera Menchik Cup, named for the first women's world chess champion.

*In 1976 the 22nd Chess Olympiad was protested by many countries for political reasons.

In 2020 and 2021, the FIDE Online Olympiad was held in lieu of an over-the-board Olympiad.

Conclusion

You now know what the Chess Olympiad is, when it started, why it is important, and more. Head over to Chess.com's Top Player page and view the games of Chess Olympiad participants.