From 15 to 27 September, the attention of the global chess community will be focused on Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where the 46th Chess Olympiad – the most prestigious team competition organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), whose history dates to 1927 – will take place. More than 400 national teams and over 4,000 participants will gather at the Silk Road Samarkand International Exhibition Centre to determine the strongest competitors over 11 rounds in the Open and Women’s tournaments, The Golden age electronic newspaper reports.
Turkmenistan’s honour at the Olympiad will be defended by a national squad of ten players. It should be recalled that two years ago, at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, the Turkmen teams achieved their best-ever results, taking first place in their respective categories – the men’s team in Group B and the women’s team in Group C.
The national teams have been selected from the best representatives of the country’s chess school.
The Turkmenistan women’s team includes:
Leyla Shohradova — ranked first among women in the national rankings at the time of selection.
Lala Shohradova — winner of the 2026 Turkmenistan Premier League.
Jahan Rejepova — silver medalist in the 2026 Premier League.
Makhri Agamyradova — bronze medalist in the 2026 Premier League.
Ogulsuray Bayrambayeva — fourth-place finisher in the 2026 Premier League.
The Turkmenistan men’s team will be represented by:
Saparmyrat Atabayev — leader of the national men’s rankings at the time of selection.
Meylis Annaberdiyev — ranked second among men at the time of selection.
Amanmuhammet Hommadov — winner of the 2026 Turkmenistan Premier League.
Vepaly Halynyazov — silver medalist in the 2026 Premier League.
Shahruh Turayev — bronze medalist in the 2026 Premier League.
The national teams approach the tournament on the back of a series of successful performances. This year, Turkmen chess players won medals at the Central Asian Championships and international tournaments, while Lala Shokhradova became the Asian Under-20 Rapid Chess Champion and the runner-up in blitz at the championship held in Mumbai, India.
