Chess Olympiad

biennial chess tournament

Chess Olympiads are chess events open to all national teams. They have been run since 1927 by the world chess organisation, FIDE.[1] Since 1950, they have been run every two years.[2] Earlier events were all-play-all. Then, as numbers grew, a system of qualifying sections were used. In recent times, the format has been a Swiss system. This, in chess terms, is a method whereby opponents are chosen each round to have similar scores. It has been widely used for individual tournaments.[3]

Recognised sport change

Chess is a recognized sport by the International Olympic Committee[4] with FIDE being the recognized International Sports Federation for chess since June 1999.[4][5][6][7] As a member of the International Olympic Committee, FIDE adheres to its rules, including controversially having doping tests.[8][9][10][11] The prospects of chess becoming an Olympic sporting event at some future date remain unclear. The naming of FIDE's team championship as the "Chess Olympiad" is of historical origin and implies no connection between this event and the Olympic Games.

The next Chess Olympiad will be held in 2014 in Norway.[source?]

Open section change

Year Event Location Gold Silver Bronze
1927 1st Chess Olympiad   London, United Kingdom Hungary 40 Denmark 38.5 England 36.5
1928 2nd Chess Olympiad   The Hague, Netherlands Hungary 44 USA 39.5 Poland 37
1930 3rd Chess Olympiad   Hamburg, Germany Poland 48.5 Hungary 47 Germany 44.5
1931 4th Chess Olympiad   Prague, Czechoslovakia USA 48 Poland 47 Czechoslovakia 46.5
1933 5th Chess Olympiad   Folkestone, United Kingdom USA 39 Czechoslovakia 37.5 Sweden 34
1935 6th Chess Olympiad   Warsaw, Poland USA 54 Sweden 52.5 Poland 52
1936 non-FIDE unofficial Chess Olympiad *   Munich, Germany Hungary 110.5 Poland 108 Germany 106.5
1937 7th Chess Olympiad   Stockholm, Sweden USA 54.5 Hungary 48.5 Poland 47
1939 8th Chess Olympiad   Buenos Aires, Argentina Germany 36 Poland 35.5 Estonia 33.5
1950 9th Chess Olympiad Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 45.5 Argentina 43.5 W. Germany 40.5
1952 10th Chess Olympiad   Helsinki, Finland USSR 21 Argentina 19.5 Yugoslavia 19
1954 11th Chess Olympiad   Amsterdam, Netherlands USSR 34 Argentina 27 Yugoslavia 26.5
1956 12th Chess Olympiad Moscow, Soviet Union USSR 31 Yugoslavia 26.5 Hungary 26.5
1958 13th Chess Olympiad   Munich, West Germany USSR 34.5 Yugoslavia 29 Argentina 25.5
1960 14th Chess Olympiad   Leipzig, East Germany USSR 34 USA 29 Yugoslavia 27
1962 15th Chess Olympiad   Varna, Bulgaria USSR 31.5 Yugoslavia 28 Argentina 26
1964 16th Chess Olympiad   Tel Aviv, Israel USSR 36.5 Yugoslavia 32 W. Germany 30.5
1966 17th Chess Olympiad   Havana, Cuba USSR 39.5 USA 34.5 Hungary 33.5
1968 18th Chess Olympiad   Lugano, Switzerland USSR 39.5 Yugoslavia 31 Bulgaria 30
1970 19th Chess Olympiad   Siegen, West Germany USSR 27.5 Hungary 26.5 Yugoslavia 26
1972 20th Chess Olympiad Skopje, Yugoslavia USSR 42 Hungary 40.5 Yugoslavia 38
1974 21st Chess Olympiad   Nice, France USSR 46 Yugoslavia 37.5 USA 36.5
1976 22nd Chess Olympiad *   Haifa, Israel USA 37 Netherlands 36.5 England 35.5
1978 23rd Chess Olympiad   Buenos Aires, Argentina Hungary 37 USSR 36 USA 35
1980 24th Chess Olympiad   Valletta, Malta USSR 39 Hungary 39 USA 35
1982 25th Chess Olympiad   Lucerne, Switzerland USSR 42.5 Czechoslovakia 36 USA 35
1984 26th Chess Olympiad   Thessaloniki, Greece USSR 41 England 37 USA 35
1986 27th Chess Olympiad   Dubai, UAE USSR 40 England 39 USA 38
1988 28th Chess Olympiad   Thessaloniki, Greece USSR 40.5 England 34.5 Netherlands 34.5
1990 29th Chess Olympiad Novi Sad, Yugoslavia USSR 39 USA 35.5 England 35.5
1992 30th Chess Olympiad   Manila, Philippines Russia 39 Uzbekistan 35 Armenia 34.5
1994 31st Chess Olympiad   Moscow, Russia Russia 37.5 Bosnia/Herzegovina 35 Russia II 34.5
1996 32nd Chess Olympiad   Yerevan, Armenia Russia 38.5 Ukraine 35 USA 34
1998 33rd Chess Olympiad   Elista, Russia Russia 35.5 USA 34.5 Ukraine 32.5
2000 34th Chess Olympiad   Istanbul, Turkey Russia 38 Germany 37 Ukraine 35.5
2002 35th Chess Olympiad   Bled, Slovenia Russia 38.5 Hungary 37.5 Armenia 35
2004 36th Chess Olympiad   Calviá, Spain Ukraine 39.5 Russia 36.5 Armenia 36.5
2006 37th Chess Olympiad   Turin, Italy Armenia 36 China 34 USA 33
2008 38th Chess Olympiad   Dresden, Germany Armenia 19 Israel 18 USA 17
2010 39th Chess Olympiad   Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Ukraine 19 Russia 18 Israel 17
2012 40th Chess Olympiad   Istanbul, Turkey   Armenia 19   Russia 19   Ukraine 18

* In 1936 FIDE refused its approval on grounds of Nazi anti-semitism; however, the organisers accepted Jewish players, and many did play in the event.[12]

* In 1976 the USSR and other communist countries did not compete for political reasons.

References change

  1. There is another world championship for chess teams run by FIDE, but it is not open. In 2010 FIDE chose the five strongest teams, and pitched them against five much weaker teams. The basis for this decision has not been explained. [1]
  2. List of Chess Olympida
  3. Reuben, Stewart 2005. The chess organiser's handbook. 3rd ed, incorporating the 2005 FIDE laws of chess. Chapter 9 Swiss pairing systems.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Recognized Sports of the International Olympic Committee International Olympic Committee official website. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  5. International Federation (IF) for chess. International Olympic Committee official website. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  6. FIDE - Uniting the Chess World FIDE Official website. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  7. ARISF Members Association of Recognized IOC International Sports Federation. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  8. Complete FIDE Anti-Doping Documents FIDE official website. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  9. Controversy over FIDE doping check ChessBase.com Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  10. The Insanity of drug testing in chess Archived 2012-06-23 at the Wayback Machine by Jeremy Silman Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  11. Chess Olympiad in Dresden 2008 Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine chinaorbit.com Retrieved 2 May 2008.
  12. Edward Winter: The 1936 Munich Chess Olympiad