It has finally become a reality, and I am talking about the Chess Olympiad. It is the world's strongest chess team event, where players get the opportunity to represent their country on the grand stage. It kicks off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and it is the 46th edition. That is right, from 1 to 46. I have to say as a chess player who has represented my university in different National Tournaments, I have to add that is truly an honour to represent your country as a whole. It is an 11 rounds tournament, and it runs from the 16th of September to the 27th of September, which is two weeks of intense chess and trying to do your best on the board.
There are lots of countries participating in the Olympiad, with the USA leading the chart in terms of strong players and India next on the list. Do not forget that India is the defending champion, as they won the tournament with the current world chess champion Gukesh being a challenger back then. Accordingly, here are the countries with strong players and their ratings, thereby making them contenders for the title.
# United States - 2751 | Player | Rating | |:---|---:| | Fabiano Caruana | 2789 | | Wesley So | 2774 | | Levon Aronian | 2725 | | Hans Moke Niemann | 2725 | | Awonder Liang | 2693 |
# India - 2733 (Defending Champion)
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| R Praggnanandhaa | 2761 |
| Arjun Erigaisi | 2759 |
| Nihal Sarin | 2718 |
| Gukesh D | 2703 |
| Vidit Santosh Gujrathi | 2697 |
# Uzbekistan - 2720 | Player | Rating | |:---|---:| | Javokhir Sindarov | 2778 | | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2762 | | Nodirbek Yakubboev | 2685 | | Shamsiddin Vokhidov | 2654 | | Mukhiddin Madaminov | 2611 |
# China - 2706 | Player | Rating | |:---|---:| | Wei Yi | 2752 | | Ding Liren | 2733 | | Yu Yangyi | 2710 | | Xu Xiangyu | 2631 | | Kong Xiangrui | 2549 |
# Germany - 2686 | Player | Rating | |:---|---:| | Vincent Keymer | 2764 | | Matthias Blübaum | 2662 | | Frederik Svane | 2655 | | Alexander Donchenko | 2625 | | Rasmus Svane | 2610 |
In light of everything, a couple of chess stars like Nakamura for the USA and Magnus Carlsen for Norway, are absent from the event. It just goes to say that they have played it a lot of times, and now it is just time for them to pass on a couple of Olympiads.
A special shout-out to my countrymen for their presence at the Olympiad and the first country they will be going up against: New Caledonia in the first round. The lineup for the Male and female teams for Nigeria is pretty impressive, and it is because it has the highest number of youngsters representing the country.
# Nigeria Male Team - 2282 | Player | Rating | |:---|---:| | FM Abdulrahman Akintoye Abdulraheem | 2316 | | FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha | 2287 | | Odey Goodness Ekunke | 2280 | | IM Odion Aikhoje | 2246 | | Bartholomew Emmanuel Okhipo | 2246 |
# Nigeria Female Team - 2018 | Player | Rating | |:---|---:| | WFM Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen | 2174 | | WFM Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo | 1997 | | Joy Iyefu Onoja | 1977 | | WIM Bridget Michael | 1925 | | Sandra Osarugue Omoruyi | 1919 |
I wish them all the best, and I will be rooting for them.
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Thanks For Reading!
