Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan has arrived in Samarkand along with the Indian team for the 2026 FIDE Chess Olympiad, which starts on Wednesday, September 16. However, the team has not been allotted a room, even after five hours of their arrival.
'Having A Terrible Experience': Srinath Narayanan Slams FIDE Chess Olympiad Arrangements
India’s non-playing captain said the team waited five hours after arriving in Samarkand without being allotted rooms. The Indian Grandmaster said the team had still not been allotted rooms five hours after landing at Samarkand airport.
Srinath, the non-playing captain of the team, took to social media to share his experience. "Having a terrible experience at the FIDE Chess 2026 Olympiad," he wrote on X, tagging the FIDE handle.
The team landed 5 hours ago at Samarkand airport. The team still hasn't been allotted rooms, with absolutely no clarity on when it’ll be allotted," he further complained.
Biggest Team Event
FIDE Chess Olympiad is the biggest team event of the game. Featuring 11 classical rounds following the opening ceremony on September 15, this edition will be the largest in chess history. A record-breaking 400 teams have been confirmed across two competitions: 208 in the Open section and 192 in the Women's event, surpassing the previous record of 380 teams set at Budapest 2024.
Indian Team For Chess Olympiad
Open Team: D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Vidit Gujrathi
Captain: Srinath Narayanan
Women's Team: Koneru Humpy, R. Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Savitha Shri B
Captain: Swayams Mishra
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