Turkmenistan's national chess team will compete in the 46th World Chess Olympiad, taking place from September 15 to 27 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

As one of FIDE's premier team competitions, this international event will be hosted at the "Silk Road Samarkand" exhibition center. Over 400 teams and more than 4,000 participants from around the globe are expected to take part.

Turkmenistan's sports prestige will be defended across 11 rounds in the open and women's tournaments by the country's 10 strongest chess players. The national squads were formed based on the 2026 national rankings and top performances in the Higher League.

Women's team roster:

  • Leyla Shohradowa — 1st place in the national ranking;

  • Lala Shohradowa — Higher League champion;

  • Jahan Rejepowa — 2nd place;

  • Mähri Agamyradowa — 3rd place;

  • Ogulsuraý Baýrambaýewa — 4th place.

Men's team roster:

  • Saparmyrat Atabaýew — 1st place in the national ranking;

  • Meýlis Annaberdiýew — 2nd place;

  • Amanmuhammet Hommadow — Higher League champion;

  • Wepaly Halynýazow — 2nd place;

  • Şahruh Turaýew — 3rd place.

Ahead of the international Olympiad, Turkmenistan's chess players underwent high-level preparation. This year, Turkmen athletes won multiple medals at Central Asian championships. Additionally, Lala Shohradowa became the Asian Blitz Champion in the under-20 girls category at a tournament in Mumbai.

The national team's preparation has been ongoing consistently since the beginning of the year. The Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, in cooperation with the Ashgabat Chess School, organized daily training sessions for the athletes. As part of international cooperation, the team also held a training camp in Kokshetau with the support of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. The training sessions were led by international grandmaster Alexander Rakhmanov.

Honored Coach of Turkmenistan Serdar Annaberdiýew highly praised the potential of the national team members. He noted that regular training and international camps have helped the team prepare thoroughly for the event.

The coach stated that both the men's and women's teams aim to compete for top prizes in their respective groups. Furthermore, the Samarkand Olympiad will provide an important opportunity for several athletes to achieve international master title norms.

Building on past success, Turkmen chess players previously excelled at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, where the men's team won 1st place in Group "B" and the women's team took 1st place in Group "C".

At the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Turkmenistan's teams aim to solidify their standing among the region's leading squads and achieve new milestones.