From 15 to 27 September, the attention of the global chess community will be focused on Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where the 46th Chess Olympiad—the most prestigious team competition organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), whose history dates back to 1927—will take place. More than 400 national teams and over 4,000 participants will gather at the Silk Road Samarkand International Exhibition Centre to determine the strongest competitors over 11 rounds in the Open and Women’s tournaments.
Turkmenistan’s honour at the Olympiad will be defended by a national squad of ten players. It should be recalled that two years ago, at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, the Turkmen teams achieved their best-ever results, taking first place in their respective categories—the men’s team in Group B and the women’s team in Group C.
The national teams have been selected from the best representatives of the country’s chess school.
The Turkmenistan women’s team includes:
Leyla Shokhradova — ranked first among women in the national rankings at the time of selection.
Lala Shokhradova — winner of the 2026 Turkmenistan Premier League.
Jahan Rejepova — silver medallist in the 2026 Premier League.
Makhri Agamyradova — bronze medallist in the 2026 Premier League.
Ogulsuray Bayrambayeva — fourth-place finisher in the 2026 Premier League.
The Turkmenistan men’s team will be represented by:
Saparmyrat Atabayev — leader of the national men’s rankings at the time of selection.
Meylis Annaberdiyev — ranked second among men at the time of selection.
Amanmuhammet Hommadov — winner of the 2026 Turkmenistan Premier League.
Vepaly Halynyazov — silver medallist in the 2026 Premier League.
Shahrukh Turayev — bronze medallist in the 2026 Premier League.
The national teams approach the tournament on the back of a series of successful performances. This year, Turkmen chess players won medals at the Central Asian Championships and international tournaments, while Lala Shokhradova became the Asian Under-20 Rapid Chess Champion and the runner-up in blitz at the championship held in Mumbai, India.
The national team’s coach, Serdar Annaberdiyev, an Honoured Coach of Turkmenistan, emphasised the team’s readiness:
“I expect great results. Amanmuhammet and Lala are in excellent form, and I expect strong performances from all the players. I believe that both of our teams will reach the podium in their respective groups.
Together with the Ashgabat Chess and Checkers School and the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, we have established a systematic training programme since January, with daily morning and afternoon training sessions. Along with Shahrukh Turayev, the head coach of the women’s national team, and Mergen Kakabayev, head of the Federation’s Coaching Council, we have devoted all our efforts to preparing the athletes for the year’s main tournament.
Our success at the tournaments in Issyk-Kul and Mumbai is clear confirmation of the progress of Turkmen chess. All our players have a real opportunity to achieve an international master norm and improve their ratings in Samarkand.
I would also like to note the role of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. As part of our cooperation, we held a training camp in Kokshetau in May and conducted online training sessions during the summer. The players are currently attending another training camp under the guidance of International Grandmaster Aleksandr Rakhmanov.”
The Chess Federation of Turkmenistan proudly sends off the national teams to the Chess Olympiad, hoping for successful performances by the players and a further strengthening of the country’s position on the global chess stage.
