43rd Chess Olympiad

43rd Chess Olympiad

Logo of the 43rd Chess Olympiad on a 2018 stamp of Georgia
Dates run 23 September – 6 October 2018
Opened by Giorgi Margvelashvili
Competitors 1,667 (920 in Open and 747 in Women's event)
Teams 185 (Open)
151 (Women)
Nations 180 (Open)
146 (Women)
Venue Sport Palace Batumi
Black Sea Arena (opening ceremony)
Batumi State Music Centre (closing ceremony)
Location Batumi, Georgia
Team medalists
Open 1st place, gold medalist(s)  China
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  United States
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Russia
Women 1st place, gold medalist(s)  China
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Ukraine
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Georgia
Best players
Open Peru Jorge Cori
Women China Ju Wenjun
Other awards
Gaprindashvili Cup  China
Previous ←Baku 2016
Next Chennai 2022→

The 43rd Chess Olympiad (Georgian: 43-ე საჭადრაკო ოლიმპიადა, 43-e sach’adrak’o olimp’iada; also known as the Batumi Chess Olympiad), organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and comprising open[note 1] and women's tournaments, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, was an international team chess event held in Batumi, Georgia, from 23 September to 6 October 2018.[1][2] This was the first Chess Olympiad to take place in Georgia with the Georgian Chess Federation also hosting the Chess World Cup 2017 in Tbilisi.[3]

The total number of participants was 1,667, with 920 in the Open and 747 in the Women's event.[4][5] The number of registered teams was 185 from 180 nations in the Open section[6] and 151 from 146 nations in the Women's section.[7] Both sections set team participation records. The main venue of the Chess Olympiad was Sport Palace Batumi, while the opening ceremony took place in the Black Sea Arena and the closing ceremony was held in the Batumi State Music Centre.[8] The Chief Arbiter of the event was Greece's International Arbiter Takis Nikolopoulos.[9]

China won the gold medal in both the Open and Women's event. This was the first time since 1986 that one country united the titles and China became the second nation to do so after the former Soviet Union. China won their second gold medal in the Open event after they had previously claimed their first title in 2014 and defended their title won in 2016 to claim their sixth title overall in the Women's event. Peruvian player Jorge Cori, who played on the third board, was the best individual player in the Open event by scoring 7½ out of 8 points (seven wins and one draw) with a performance rating of 2925.[10] Chinese reigning Women's World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun, playing on the first board, was the best individual player in the Women's event by scoring 7 out of 9 points (five wins and four draws), with a performance rating of 2661.[11]

The 89th FIDE Congress also took place during the event at which Russian politician and economist Arkady Dvorkovich was elected new President of FIDE following Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's withdrawal because of the United States Department of the Treasury's sanctions imposed against him for his alleged support to the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War.[12]


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  1. ^ "FIDE Calendar 2018". fide.com. FIDE. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. ^ Albert Silver (31 August 2016). "FIDE Congress – New chess laws, championships and more". ChessBase. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  3. ^ "FIDE Calendar 2017". fide.com. FIDE. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. ^ "43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Open – Alphabetical list of players in the Open event". Chess-results.com.
  5. ^ "43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Open – Alphabetical list of players in the Women's event". Chess-results.com.
  6. ^ "43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Open". Chess-results.com.
  7. ^ "43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Women". Chess-results.com.
  8. ^ "43rd Chess Olympiad Batumi – Invitation" (PDF). Batumi Chess Olympiad Organising Committee. pp. 9, 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  9. ^ "2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad Principals". FIDE. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  10. ^ "The best players (Final Ranking after 11 Rounds) – Open". Chess-results.com.
  11. ^ "The best players (Final Ranking after 11 Rounds) – Women". Chess-results.com.
  12. ^ "Arkady Dvorkovich: Russian politician crowned world chess head". BBC. 3 October 2018.