2026 Chess Olympiad Schedule in Samarkand: India Defends Double Title, Uzbekistan Hosts with Sindarov vs Gukesh

I thought I was exiled from the world of chess, but chess has brought me deep into the heart of international sports diplomacy. Today, as FIDE announces the schedule for the 46th Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 28 to October 18, 2026, I sit before my computer screen, holding a hot cup of coffee, and feel clearly the long breath of history beginning. Not an individual match, but a national chess game, where hundreds of teams arrange their pieces, and I realize that the first move of this chessboard is choosing Samarkand as the venue – a decision that is not only administrative but also a declaration of peace and chess development in Asia.