India landed in Samarkand today for the 2026 Chess Olympiad, as the defending champion. Five hours later, the team still had no hotel rooms and no idea when they would get one. Indian chess teams face long hotel waits in Samarkand on the very day the tournament was meant to begin on a high note.
GM Srinath Narayanan, coach of the Indian team, put the frustration on record himself. He wrote that the team was “having a terrible experience at the 2026 Olympiad,” with players still waiting on rooms and no clarity on timing.
The timing could not be worse for a smooth start. The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad opens today, 15 September, with the first round beginning tomorrow. It is the first Olympiad ever held in Central Asia, and the largest in the event’s history, with 208 teams in the Open section and close to 190 in the Women’s, a field of nearly 400 teams. India walks in as the reigning champion in both, having swept both golds at Budapest in 2024.
GM Vidit Gujrathi quoted Narayanan’s post within minutes and added his own verdict, calling it “very poor” first impressions of the tournament, then two words that said the rest, still waiting. His post crossed 27,000 views inside hours, with nearly a hundred reposts
India travelled to Samarkand with its full strength on show, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh anchoring the Open squad, Koneru Humpy leading the Women’s side. Both teams arrive as top seeds and defending champions, which made the wait for rooms harder to explain away as a small-federation problem.
Austria Says Their Wait Ran Even Longer Than India’s
India was not alone in noticing. Replying directly to Narayanan’s post, Austrian GM Felix Blohberger wrote “same here,” then laid out a wait even longer than India’s: his delegation reached their hotel at 6 AM, and their captain only got a room at 1:30 PM, a gap of seven and a half hours.
Chennai Set a High Bar Back in 2022
There is a bit of history worth knowing here. Uzbekistan’s bid for this exact Olympiad was approved on 8 August 2022, at the FIDE General Assembly held alongside the 44th Chess Olympiad. That Olympiad was in Chennai, hosted by India, and its organisation was praised on arrival by the very players now covering Samarkand four years later. GM Ivan Sokolov posted that a bit more than two hours after landing, he was already in his hotel room, calling the accommodation excellent. GM Francisco Vallejo Pons singled out fast immigration lines and quick hotel check-in the same week.
It is a useful benchmark, not a verdict. A field this size in a city hosting for the first time comes with real logistical strain, and Chennai’s smooth run in 2022 shows what is possible when it goes right.
Neither Narayanan nor Vidit named specific hotels or organisers, and FIDE has not issued a public response yet. Whether this stays an opening-day hiccup or becomes a running theme through 27 September is the story to watch.
What makes it sting is who it happened to. This is not a debutant nation finding its feet. India arrived in Samarkand holding both Olympiad titles, with world champion D Gukesh on board four. Being the champion did not get the team a room any faster.
Note: This report is based on public statements made by players on X and is intended for informational purposes. Chess Bharat does not intend to target any individual, federation, or nation, and will update this piece if FIDE or the organisers issue an official response.
