The 2026 World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) got off to a flying start for the Ukrainian teams, with two convincing victories. Already in the first round, both the men's and women's national teams posted crushing results, demonstrating a high level of preparation and strong team cohesion. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the Chess Federation of Ukraine. The team, photographed in their signature white jackets bearing the coat of arms of Ukraine, looks like a single united block — and the results of the first playing day confirm it.
Men's Team: A Confident Rout of Zimbabwe
In the opening match of the men's tournament, the Ukrainian team faced the Zimbabwe national team and won with a score of 3.5:0.5. Three individual wins were delivered by Ihor Kovalenko, Anton Korobov, and Ihor Samunenko, securing three points for the team. The only draw in the "blue-and-yellow" lineup was recorded by Roman Degtyarev. The final result is more than convincing for the first round, where many strong teams traditionally play with caution.
Women's Team: A Flawless Victory Over Iraq
An even more impressive result was delivered by the Ukrainian women's team. In their match against the Iraqi team, the Ukrainian chess players won four out of four games — a final score of 4:0, the maximum possible result. All four points were brought by Anastasiia Hnatiushyn, Natalia Buxa, Anastasiia Rahmangulova, and Tetyana Skarbarchuk. Flawless play on all boards signals that the women's team is set on fighting for the Olympiad medals.
Reserves and Rotation: Ivanchuk and Ushenina on the Bench
Particular attention should be paid to the fact that two key players sat out on the first playing day — Grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk and Grandmaster Anna Ushenina. Their presence in the team lineup, but absence from the boards in the first round, allows the coaching staff to preserve their leaders' resources for tougher matches and use them as a trump card in the key rounds of the Olympiad.
Schedule: Second Round — Today, September 17
The matches of the second round of the World Chess Olympiad will be played on Thursday, September 17, at 13:00 Kyiv time. The draw for the second-round pairings will take place after all games of the opening playing day are completed. The Samarkand Olympiad will run until September 27, 2026, which means a further series of matches in which the Ukrainian teams will be able to either consolidate or adjust their positions in the standings.
It is worth noting that on the eve of the Olympiad's start, the Ukrainian chess community was discussing a reinforcement of the Chess Federation of Ukraine's ranks — the coach of Magnus Carlsen joined it, adding extra resonance around the national team. Now, after the first round, all eyes are fixed on whether the Ukrainians can turn their opening momentum into sustained leadership throughout all rounds of the Olympiad.
