Chess Olympiad 2026: China names teams

The 46th Chess Olympiad will open on September 15, 2026, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. China has announced its lineups.

Men's team: Ding Liren, Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, Xu Xiangyu, Kong Xiangrui
Women's team: Zhu Jiner, Lu Miaoyi, Song Yuxin, Zhai Mo, Yan Tianqi

The Chinese men's team won the Olympiad in 2014 and 2018. Ding Liren, the 2023 World Chess Champion, was a member of both title-winning squads. China is seeded 4th in the men's section.

The Chinese women's team claimed four consecutive titles from 1998 to 2004 and added two more in 2016 and 2018. Although the world's top three—Hou Yifan, Lei Tingjie, and Ju Wenjun—are not on the roster, the women's team, led by world No. 4 Zhu Jiner, is seeded 3rd.

A record 208 teams will compete in the men's section and 192 in the women's section. The 11-round tournament runs from September 16 to 27.