Hello everyone and welcome to the Chess Olympiad 2024 live blog! In this rolling updates article, we will cover all events and news regarding the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest. The news will appear here time stamped at reverse chronological order. Scroll down to the first news, while on top you will find the latest curiosities from Budapest. Round 1 starts September 11 at 15:00 CET
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More live (Open): Chess Olympiad 2024 live / Matches 1-26 live / Matches 26-50 live / Matches 51-75 live / Matches 75+ live / TCEC live / TCEC live 2
More live (Women): Matches 1-26 live / Matches 26-50 live / Matches 51-75 live / Matches 75+ live
More about Chess Olympaid 2024 : Participants open / Participants women / All news about Chess Olympiad 2024
September 4, 05:21 CET
In a groundbreaking decision aimed at promoting inclusivity and support for displaced persons, a team representing refugees will take part in the 45th Chess Olympiad set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, in 2024. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich noted the significance of this decision, stating, “In our complex global landscape where numerous people are left displaced and without homes, the inclusion of a refugee team in the Chess Olympiad is a testament to our commitment to support those in need. Chess has the power to offer solace and empowerment to individuals facing adversity, and this initiative shows our dedication to using chess as a tool for positive change.” The move follows a request made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the FIDE Council.
None of the refugees has FIDE rating, so they will start at the 1400 rating floor. Team open consists of Chol Mach Nhial, Ader Ajak Ader, Ngong Atem Gak, Atem Deng Achuoth, Jock Nyok Ayual. The women team is Athieng Chol Anhiany, Ajok Atem Achuoth, Sylvia Tete Mario, Awan Majak Bol, Amer Mach Ayuen.
September 3, 07:38 CET
Deborah Quickpen is a Woman Candidate Master (WCM) right before the Chess Olympiad! Her compatriot FM Eytonghan will also be there.
September 2, 11:33 CET
Germany’s average rating for the Chess Olympiad 2024 grows from 2663 to 2667 in the August rating list. The rating jump comes thanks to the good performance of Vincent Keymer at Rubinstein Memorial where he adds 11 ELO. Dimitrij Kollars also adds 3 rating points and Frederik Svane 4 points. With this Germany jumps to 7th position in the seedings, overtaking England.
September 2, 09:45 CET
India’s captain comments in an interview for Chessdom, “I think being the seeding number of the team hardly matters. It comes down to individual matchups, and Olympiad is like an open event. I think having a young team is a bit of an advantage here, as the experience of playing opens is still fresh in their memories.” Read the full interview here
September 1, 09:45 CET
Le Quang Liem is one of the few players from the 2700 club that arrives in Budapest with higher rating than the Olympiad in Chennai. In fact, this is the highest rating for Le Quang Liem. In a rating deflation environment this is quite an achievement.
September 1, 08:00 CET
The month of September is finally here and we are just ten days away from the opening ceremony of the Chess Olympiad 2024! News starts coming about delegations arriving in Budapest and despite continuous accommodation trouble there is a growing excitement among the participants and fans alike
August 31, 16:35 CET
A day after accommodation problems at the Chess Olympiad 2024 became public knowledge, Anish Giri roasted FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky about his lack of proper communication with the delegations, and in general. Later today we will publish the statement of Malcolm Pein from ECF on Chessdom
August 30, 20:00 CET
Accommodation woes, unexpected extra costs incurred, and visa problems for teams. What started as a local problem for the organizers is turning into a serious issue for FIDE and the image of chess, as with less than two weeks remaining to the start of the Chess Olympiad problems are getting from bad to worse. Read the full news here
August 29, 21:03 CET
Hosting the Chess Olympiad is a European affair. Out of the 45 Olympiads, only a handful have happened outside of Europe. These are the 8th Olympiad in 1939 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the 16th Olympiad in 1964 in Tel Aviv, Israel; the 17th Olympiad in 1966 in La Havana, Cuba; the 22nd Chess Olympiad in 1976 in Haifa, Israel; the 23rd Chess Olympiad in 1978 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the 27th Chess Olympiad in 1986 in Dubai, UAE; the 30th Chess Olympiad in 1992 in Manila, Phillipines; the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022 in Chennai, India; and in the near future the 46th Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan
That makes 8 Olympiads outside Europe and 37 Olympiads in Europe. The 45th Chess Olympiad will be the first in Hungary, if we do not count the unofficial Chess Olympiad in 1926.
Here is a map of the host cities of the Chess Olympiad.
August 28, 19:45 CET
We will cover live the opening ceremony as well as all events leading to it in the Chess Olympiad 2024 live blog. The song Trojan War will be part of the show and the FIDE anthem will be played, but little more is know for now. In a short statement for Chessdom, FIDE Head of PR Anna Volkova commented, “We are not ready yet to reveal the concept of the opening ceremony and the list of its official guests.”
August 28, 09:15 CET
Japan is ready for the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest. Taro Shinoda, board member of the Chess Federation of Japan and head of the delegation in Budapest, commented for Chessdom, “The Open team is the strongest in our history, with all members being titleholders for the first time. Additionally, FM Aoshima Mirai is also a professional shogi player, making him the first professional shogi player to compete in the Olympiad.” Read the full Japan presentation here
August 27, 18:45 CET
India come with the highest combined rating to the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Boasting the highest rated Indian player Arjun Erigaisi and World Championship challenger Gukesh D in the open section, and a refreshed team in the women section, India have a lot to hope for. Our IANS colleague Venkatachari Jagannathan correctly noted that India has even bigger participation in Budapest, with various teams coached by Indian players. See the Chess Olympiad 2024 team India here
August 26, 11:15 CET
The youngest participant at the last Chess Olympiad was 8-year-old Randa Seder. You can see an interview with Randa here. Quiz: Do you know who will be the youngest participant of the Chess Olympiad in Budapest? Send your answer @ Twitter/X or via the contact form
August 26, 2:43 CET
The venue: Chess Olympiad 2024 will take place in BOK Sports Hall, formerly known as SAP Hall (2000-2003) and SYMA Sports and Events Centre (2003-2016). The center can accommodate up to with a capacity of around 5,500 for sports events and closer to 10,000 for music concerts, with additional conference rooms have capacities ranging from 35 to 250 people. (Image of the playing hall)
August 26, 2:15 CET
August 26, 1:25 CET
According to the July rating list, the top team of the Olympiad is USA with average ELO of 2755, followed by India (2753), China (2726), Netherlands (2687), Uzbekistan (2684), Norway (2673), England (2666), Germany (2663), Hungary (2663), and Poland (2662). See all participants in the open section
In the women section of the Olympiad the top team is India (2467), closely followed by Georgia (2461), Poland (2418), China (2414), Ukraine (2402), Azerbaijan (2402), USA (2388), Spain (2382), Germany (2380), Kazakhstan (2370), and Armenia (2365). See all participants in the women section
The August update of the rating list will bring changes, we will closely follow them here.
August 26, 12:45 CET
The Chess Olympiad 2024 will have an official song. This is Rose May and Raul – Trojan war. You can listen to the song, read the story and the full lyrics here
August 26, 12:25 CET
The Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest breaks the participation record. 2022 Chennai Olympiad held the participation record with 187 teams registered in Open competition and 162 teams registered in the Women’s competition, a record that was previously set in Batumi, 2018 with 182 teams representing 176 countries in Open and Women sections. Now Budapest Chess Olympiad 2024 will feature 193 teams in the Open section and 181 squads in the Women’s competition.
Liechtenstein, Guernsey, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Nauru, and the Cayman Islands – will make their debut in Budapest in the Women section. (see the full news here)
