Chess Olympiad chaos: FIDE promises compensation after trouble in India
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has promised to compensate teams affected by the accommodation chaos in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after they arrived for the Chess Olympiad on Tuesday 15 September. India was one of the affected captained sides Srinath Narayanan and Vidit Gujrathi reveal that the team did not get their rooms despite being at the airport for more than five hours.
Austrian Grandmaster Felix Blohberger previously talked about the same issue in a vlog on his YouTube channel. He later responded to Srinath’s post and said that they too faced similar problems. In a lengthy statement, FIDE said it would step in and help teams that had to be accommodated elsewhere for up to three days.
The federation also said that teams forced by teams to stay in official hotels that do not meet FIDE-approved standards will receive additional compensation.
STATEMENT OF FIDE ON ACCOMMODATION AT THE OLYMPICS
“FIDE notes with deep regret that during the first day of the 2026 FIDE Chess Olympiad, accommodation shortages caused some teams without proper registration, forcing them to rent rooms in the city at their own expense.”
“Although accommodation matters fall under the competence of the local organizing committee and FIDE has no authority in this regard, FIDE nevertheless considers it its duty to assist federations affected by this situation.”
“Accordingly, FIDE has found additional financial resources and officially confirms that all teams that have had to provide their own rooms will be reimbursed for accommodation of the appropriate standard for up to three days.”
“Furthermore, all teams forced to stay in official hotels that do not meet FIDE-approved standards during the Olympics will receive an additional compensation payment from FIDE.”
“FIDE deeply regrets that these organizational problems have occurred and apologizes to the federations and teams affected. Although the shortcomings arose at the organizing committee level, FIDE’s priority is to ensure that no federation suffers financial loss as a result.”
“Our fundamental objective remains clear: each participating federation must be treated fairly and given the conditions set for the Chess Olympiad,” FIDE said in a statement.
The Indian team was eventually allocated rooms at the end of the day, but it was far from easy.
A report from the Indian Express said the Indian contingent arrived in Samarkand at around 9:30 a.m. before reaching their allotted hotel, where they arrived about an hour later. However, the first room was not handed over until about 12:30, with the second room following about 30 minutes later.
As only two rooms were initially available for the entire Indian contingent, members of the open team, including world champion D Gukesh and R Praggnanandha, used one room for refreshment and rest. In the second, a women’s cooperative was housed along with the mothers of Praggnanandhaa and Vantika Agrawal.
The six coaches had to wait while hotel officials worked to arrange additional rooms for the contingent.
Indian women’s team captain Swayams Mishra said India was supposed to get 16 rooms but ended up getting only 14 by late evening.
“All the players now have their individual rooms, some did not get the preferred rooms they mentioned to the organizers. But the support staff will be adjusting for a few days,” Mishra told Indian Express.
India enters the Olympics as the defending champions after their historic double gold in Budapest in 2024.
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Published on:
16 Sep 2026 19:14 IST