42nd Chess Olympiad
The 42nd Chess Olympiad was an international team chess competition organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), held from 2 to 13 September 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan.[1] It featured separate open and women's sections, with matches played over 11 rounds in a Swiss system format among national teams.[2] The event attracted a record participation of 170 teams in the open section and 134 in the women's section, making it the largest Chess Olympiad to date.[3] In the open section, the United States secured gold with 20 match points, edging out Ukraine on tiebreak criteria for their first title since 1976; Russia earned bronze with 18 points.[2][1] China dominated the women's section, winning gold with 20 points ahead of Poland on 17.[4] Notable individual performances included gold medals on board three for Wesley So of the United States in the open and Hou Yifan of China in the women's.[2] The Olympiad was marked by heightened anti-cheating protocols, including metal detectors and signal-jamming devices, amid growing concerns over electronic cheating in chess.[5] Geopolitical tensions influenced participation, with Armenia withdrawing due to the host nation's conflict with the country over Nagorno-Karabakh, and several teams facing visa delays or denials.[5] No doping cases were reported despite FIDE's integration with the World Anti-Doping Agency.[6]Host Selection and Preparations
Bidding Process
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) initiated a bidding process for hosting the 42nd Chess Olympiad, scheduled for 2016, by inviting national chess federations to submit proposals. Three bids were received: from the Estonian Chess Federation for Tallinn, the Bulgarian Chess Federation for Albena, and the Azerbaijan Chess Federation for Baku.[7] [8] [9] The bids were evaluated based on FIDE's standard criteria, including venue suitability, infrastructure, financial guarantees, and organizational capacity. The Azerbaijan bid proposed the Baku Crystal Hall as the primary venue, with commitments to accommodate up to 2,000 participants and provide substantial prize funds and logistical support.[8] [7] At the 85th FIDE Congress and General Assembly held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from September 8–12, 2014, member federations voted to award the hosting rights to Baku, Azerbaijan.[7] This decision aligned with FIDE's practice of selecting hosts via majority vote among national delegates during congresses, following the review of submitted bids.[10]Venue and Infrastructure
The 42nd Chess Olympiad's playing venue was the Baku Crystal Hall, a multipurpose arena located on the Caspian Sea coast in Baku, Azerbaijan.[11] This facility, with a seating capacity of 25,000, hosted the competition rounds from September 2 to 13, 2016, accommodating over 3,000 players across the open and women's events from 181 nations.[12][13] The hall featured dedicated playing areas configured for simultaneous matches on hundreds of boards, supported by anti-cheating protocols including X-ray screening of players and captains at the entrance prior to each round.[14] Infrastructure included allocated press rooms, VIP sectors, and catering pavilions offering food, refreshments, and chess-themed merchandise for participants and spectators.[15][16] Organizers ensured comprehensive facilities to handle the record participation, with media tours conducted to showcase preparations.[17] Security and logistical measures emphasized integrity, with strict procedures to detect electronic devices or other aids, reflecting FIDE's standards for major events.[13] The venue's modern design and central location facilitated efficient operations for the biennial team championship.[18]Schedule Adjustments
The dates for the 42nd Chess Olympiad were adjusted from the initial plan of 17 to 30 September 2016 to 1 to 14 September 2016, as announced by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov following a request from the Baku organizers.[19] This earlier timing accommodated the arrival of participants on 1 September, an opening ceremony and captains' meeting that evening, and the start of competition rounds the following day.[14] The revised structure maintained the standard 11 Swiss-system rounds for both open and women's sections but limited rest to a single off day on 7 September, resulting in a 14-day event overall with intensified daily play to conclude by 13 September, followed by closing ceremonies on 14 September.[20] FIDE highlighted this format in communications to national federations, noting the absence of additional free days to streamline logistics for the record participation of over 3,500 players from 175 teams.[21] No further mid-event modifications, such as round postponements, were reported during the tournament.[22]Financing and Logistics
The total budget for the 42nd Chess Olympiad was 13.3 million euros, primarily funded by the Azerbaijani government through the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, with additional contributions from sponsors and FIDE entry fees.[12] Of this, approximately 6.8 million euros was allocated to first-class accommodation for players, officials, and delegates.[12] The hosting bid, awarded in 2012, included a guarantee of around €15 million, which covered organizational costs, prizes, and a special travel grant of $1.5 million USD disbursed by FIDE to subsidize participating teams from developing federations.[8][23] Logistical arrangements encompassed accommodation in multiple Baku hotels, including Fairmont, Holiday Inn, Park Inn, Intourist, Boulevard Hotel, Qafqaz City, and Qafqaz Sport, with contracts signed to house over 3,000 participants from 177 nations.[24] Transportation was managed via dedicated shuttle buses themed with chess motifs, operating on fixed schedules from hotels to the Baku Crystal Hall venue—for instance, departures from Intourist Hotel at 14:20 and Park Inn at 14:00 for afternoon rounds.[25][26] Pre-event preparations included transport dry-runs and security training by a contracted firm to handle the large influx of international visitors.[27] Challenges arose with FIDE's travel subsidy payments, which were delayed for several African teams, leading to financial difficulties for players who incurred out-of-pocket expenses for flights and visas; these issues stemmed from administrative bottlenecks rather than host funding shortfalls.[28] Overall, the logistics supported a record participation of 1,800 players, with no major disruptions reported beyond subsidy delays, enabling smooth execution across 11 rounds from September 2 to 13, 2016.[28][12]Tournament Structure and Execution
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
The opening ceremony of the 42nd Chess Olympiad occurred on September 1, 2016, at the Baku National Gymnastics Arena.[29][30][18] The event featured a solemn yet entertaining program, attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and representatives from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).[18][31] This ceremony preceded the captains' meeting and marked the formal start of the tournament, with the first round commencing the following day at 15:00 local time.[32][33] The closing ceremony took place on September 14, 2016, also at the National Gymnastics Arena, following the completion of the 11-round competition.[34][4] It was presided over by Azerbaijan's First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub Eyyubov, who served as chairman of the Baku Chess Olympiad Organizing Committee, and included the presentation of awards to the winning teams: the United States in the open section and China in the women's section.[4] The ceremony concluded the event, which drew a record 176 participating nations.[33]Participating Teams and Format
The 42nd Chess Olympiad consisted of separate Open and Women's sections, each contested as a team event in a Swiss system tournament format over 11 rounds.[32] In each round, teams were paired against opponents with similar match point totals, with match outcomes determined by the aggregate score across four individual board games (2.5 points for a win per match, 1 for a draw, and 0.5 for a loss).[32] Tiebreakers for final standings included criteria such as the sum of individual game points, game point differences between teams, and board-point percentages, as specified in FIDE's Olympiad pairing rules.[35] Teams in both sections were composed of four regular players and one reserve, with the reserve eligible for substitution on any board in any round at the captain's discretion; board order was determined by the captain before each match, typically aligning strongest players on board 1.[36] The time control for all games was 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 additional minutes, with a 30-second increment per move from the start.[12] A record 181 teams representing 175 countries participated in the Open section, while the Women's section featured 142 teams from 138 countries, totaling over 1,600 players and officials.[34] This marked the largest Chess Olympiad to date, surpassing previous editions in scale and geographic diversity, with national federations affiliated to FIDE eligible to enter one team per section.[34][37]Competition Schedule
The 42nd Chess Olympiad's competitive rounds took place from September 2 to 13, 2016, comprising 11 rounds in a Swiss system format for both the open and women's events, conducted simultaneously.[32] A rest day was scheduled on September 7 to allow participants recovery between rounds 5 and 6.[38] All rounds except the final were held at 3:00 PM local time (UTC+4) at the Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the concluding Round 11 starting earlier at 11:00 AM on September 13 to accommodate the closing ceremony later that evening.[32] The schedule of rounds is detailed below:| Round | Date | Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | 15:00 |
| 2 | September 3 | 15:00 |
| 3 | September 4 | 15:00 |
| 4 | September 5 | 15:00 |
| 5 | September 6 | 15:00 |
| 6 | September 8 | 15:00 |
| 7 | September 9 | 15:00 |
| 8 | October 10 | 15:00 |
| 9 | September 11 | 15:00 |
| 10 | September 12 | 15:00 |
| 11 | September 13 | 11:00 |
Open Event
Team Results and Standings
In the open section of the 42nd Chess Olympiad, 181 teams participated in an 11-round Swiss-system tournament, with each team fielding up to four players per round and scoring one match point for a win, half a point for a draw, and zero for a loss.[1][2] The United States secured the gold medal with 20 match points, prevailing over Ukraine—also on 20 points—through tiebreak criteria including game points (413.5 to 404.5) and other secondary metrics.[40] Russia claimed bronze with 18 points, marking a strong but non-medal performance amid internal team selections influenced by geopolitical tensions.[40][2] This result represented the United States' first open team title since 1976, achieved with a lineup featuring grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Hikaru Nakamura, and Ray Robson.[1] Several teams tied at 16 points for positions 4 through 10, resolved by tiebreaks such as total game points and Sonneborn-Berger scores.[40] India placed fourth, buoyed by contributions from Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna, while Norway finished fifth despite Magnus Carlsen's participation.[2] The full top 10 standings are summarized below:| Rank | Team | Match Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 20 |
| 2 | Ukraine (UKR) | 20 |
| 3 | Russia (RUS) | 18 |
| 4 | India (IND) | 16 |
| 5 | Norway (NOR) | 16 |
| 6 | Turkey (TUR) | 16 |
| 7 | Poland (POL) | 16 |
| 8 | France (FRA) | 16 |
| 9 | England (ENG) | 16 |
| 10 | Peru (PER) | 16 |
Individual Performances
In the open section of the 42nd Chess Olympiad, individual gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top performers on each of the four boards, calculated based on tournament scores and performance ratings among players assigned to those boards.[4] The gold medal on board 1 went to Baadur Jobava of Georgia, who scored 8/10. Silver was awarded to Fabiano Caruana of the United States (7.5/10), and bronze to Magnus Carlsen of Norway (7/9, performance rating 2884). On board 2, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia claimed gold with 8/10, followed by silver for Hikaru Nakamura of the United States (7/10) and bronze for Anish Giri of the Netherlands (7/10).[4] Board 3 saw Wesley So of the United States win gold with an undefeated 9/10, silver for Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia (8/10), and bronze for 64-year-old Eugenio Torre of the Philippines (7.5/9), marking a notable achievement for the veteran player. Finally, on board 4, Lê Quang Liêm of Vietnam earned gold with 9/10, silver went to Daniel Naroditsky of the United States (8.5/10), and bronze to Vidit Gujrathi of India (8/10). The United States dominated individual honors, securing one gold and three silvers, reflecting their strong depth across boards.[4][41]| Board | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baadur Jobava (Georgia, 8/10) | Fabiano Caruana (USA, 7.5/10) | Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 7/9) |
| 2 | Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 8/10) | Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 7/10) | Anish Giri (Netherlands, 7/10) |
| 3 | Wesley So (USA, 9/10) | Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia, 8/10) | Eugenio Torre (Philippines, 7.5/9) |
| 4 | Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam, 9/10) | Daniel Naroditsky (USA, 8.5/10) | Vidit Gujrathi (India, 8/10) |
Women's Event
Team Results and Standings
In the open section of the 42nd Chess Olympiad, 181 teams participated in an 11-round Swiss-system tournament, with each team fielding up to four players per round and scoring one match point for a win, half a point for a draw, and zero for a loss.[1][2] The United States secured the gold medal with 20 match points, prevailing over Ukraine—also on 20 points—through tiebreak criteria including game points (413.5 to 404.5) and other secondary metrics.[40] Russia claimed bronze with 18 points, marking a strong but non-medal performance amid internal team selections influenced by geopolitical tensions.[40][2] This result represented the United States' first open team title since 1976, achieved with a lineup featuring grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Hikaru Nakamura, and Ray Robson.[1] Several teams tied at 16 points for positions 4 through 10, resolved by tiebreaks such as total game points and Sonneborn-Berger scores.[40] India placed fourth, buoyed by contributions from Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna, while Norway finished fifth despite Magnus Carlsen's participation.[2] The full top 10 standings are summarized below:| Rank | Team | Match Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) | 20 |
| 2 | Ukraine (UKR) | 20 |
| 3 | Russia (RUS) | 18 |
| 4 | India (IND) | 16 |
| 5 | Norway (NOR) | 16 |
| 6 | Turkey (TUR) | 16 |
| 7 | Poland (POL) | 16 |
| 8 | France (FRA) | 16 |
| 9 | England (ENG) | 16 |
| 10 | Peru (PER) | 16 |
Individual Performances
In the open section of the 42nd Chess Olympiad, individual gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top performers on each of the four boards, calculated based on tournament scores and performance ratings among players assigned to those boards.[4] The gold medal on board 1 went to Baadur Jobava of Georgia, who scored 8/10. Silver was awarded to Fabiano Caruana of the United States (7.5/10), and bronze to Magnus Carlsen of Norway (7/9, performance rating 2884). On board 2, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia claimed gold with 8/10, followed by silver for Hikaru Nakamura of the United States (7/10) and bronze for Anish Giri of the Netherlands (7/10).[4] Board 3 saw Wesley So of the United States win gold with an undefeated 9/10, silver for Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia (8/10), and bronze for 64-year-old Eugenio Torre of the Philippines (7.5/9), marking a notable achievement for the veteran player. Finally, on board 4, Lê Quang Liêm of Vietnam earned gold with 9/10, silver went to Daniel Naroditsky of the United States (8.5/10), and bronze to Vidit Gujrathi of India (8/10). The United States dominated individual honors, securing one gold and three silvers, reflecting their strong depth across boards.[4][41]| Board | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baadur Jobava (Georgia, 8/10) | Fabiano Caruana (USA, 7.5/10) | Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 7/9) |
| 2 | Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 8/10) | Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 7/10) | Anish Giri (Netherlands, 7/10) |
| 3 | Wesley So (USA, 9/10) | Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia, 8/10) | Eugenio Torre (Philippines, 7.5/9) |
| 4 | Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam, 9/10) | Daniel Naroditsky (USA, 8.5/10) | Vidit Gujrathi (India, 8/10) |
Awards and Recognitions
Gaprindashvili Trophy
The Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy, named after the former women's world chess champion and awarded for the highest combined match points achieved by a federation's teams in the open and women's sections, was won by Ukraine at the 42nd Chess Olympiad.[42][41] Ukraine's open team accumulated 20 points, tying the United States for first but securing second place via tiebreak criteria including Olympiad tiebreak (Sonnenborn-Berger), game points, and board points.[40][4] The women's team also scored 17 points, tying Poland for second behind China's 20 points.[43] This yielded a total of 37 points, exceeding the United States (open 20 + women approximately 15–16), China (open 15 + women 20), and Russia (open 18 + women 16).[2][42] The award recognizes balanced national strength across genders, with Ukraine's success attributed to consistent performances, including contributions from players like Vassily Ivanchuk and Mariya Muzychuk in the open and women's events, respectively.[4] Nona Gaprindashvili presented the trophy to the Ukrainian delegation during the closing ceremony on September 13, 2016, highlighting the federation's depth in both competitions.[42] This marked Ukraine's strong showing amid a field of 181 open teams and 142 women's teams from 174 federations.[4]Other Honors
Individual medals were awarded for the top three performances on each board in both the open and women's events, determined by performance rating among players who met the minimum game requirement.[4] In the open section:| Board | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Baadur Jobava (Georgia, 8/10, Rp 2926) | GM Leinier Domínguez Pérez (Cuba, 7.5/10, Rp 2839) | GM Fabiano Caruana (United States, 7/10, Rp 2838) |
| 2 | GM Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 6.5/8, Rp 2903) | GM Anton Kovalyov (Canada, 8/10, Rp 2852) | GM Jorge Cori (Peru, 8/10, Rp 2810) |
| 3 | GM Wesley So (United States, 8.5/10, Rp 2896) | GM Zoltán Almási (Hungary, 7.5/9, Rp 2845) | GM Eugenio Torre (Philippines, 10/11, Rp 2836) |
| 4 | GM Laurent Fressinet (France, 7/8, Rp 2809) | GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia, 8/10, Rp 2804) | GM Aleksandar Indjić (Serbia, 8.5/10, Rp 2786) |
| Reserve | GM Andrei Volokitin (Ukraine, 8.5/9, Rp 2992) | IM Sami Khader (Jordan, 8/8, Rp 2932) | GM Aleksej Aleksandrov (Belarus, 6.5/8, Rp 2760) |
| Board | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 7.5/10, Rp 2629) | GM Hou Yifan (China, 5.5/8, Rp 2547) | GM Pia Cramling (Sweden, 8.5/11, Rp 2537) |
| 2 | GM Valentina Gunina (Russia, 8/10, Rp 2643) | GM Ju Wenjun (China, 7.5/11, Rp 2501) | IM Deĭmantė Daulytė (Lithuania, 8/10, Rp 2481) |
| 3 | WGM Gulnar Mammadova (Azerbaijan, 7/9, Rp 2559) | WGM Karina Szczepkowska-Horowska (Poland, 6.5/8, Rp 2547) | WGM Nguyễn Thị Mai Hưng (Vietnam, 8/11, Rp 2442) |
| 4 | WGM Tan Zhongyi (China, 9/11, Rp 2565) | IM Nino Batsiashvili (Georgia, 9/11, Rp 2565) | WGM Klaudia Kulon (Poland, 9/11, Rp 2506) |
| Reserve | IM Guo Qi (China, 5.5/8, Rp 2394) | WIM Andreea-Cristiana Navrotescu (France, 7/10, Rp 2285) | IM Anita Gara (Hungary, 5/8, Rp 2277) |