The Chess Olympiad is a team event, so its winners aren’t individuals — they’re countries. Since the first official edition in 1927, gold medals have gone to national squads in an Open section and (from 1957) a Women’s section. Below is the full roll of gold-medal nations by year, the records worth knowing, and the standout results — including India’s history-making double in 2024. (Reigning champions as of July 2026: India, in both sections.)
Gold-medal nations, 1976–2024
Since 1976 the Open and Women’s events have shared the same host city and dates, so here they are side by side.
| Year | Host city | Open gold | Women’s gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Haifa, Israel | United States | Israel |
| 1978 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Hungary | Soviet Union |
| 1980 | Valletta, Malta | Soviet Union | Soviet Union |
| 1982 | Lucerne, Switzerland | Soviet Union | Soviet Union |
| 1984 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Soviet Union | Soviet Union |
| 1986 | Dubai, UAE | Soviet Union | Soviet Union |
| 1988 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Soviet Union | Hungary |
| 1990 | Novi Sad, Yugoslavia | Soviet Union | Hungary |
| 1992 | Manila, Philippines | Russia | Georgia |
| 1994 | Moscow, Russia | Russia | Georgia |
| 1996 | Yerevan, Armenia | Russia | Georgia |
| 1998 | Elista, Russia | Russia | China |
| 2000 | Istanbul, Turkey | Russia | China |
| 2002 | Bled, Slovenia | Russia | China |
| 2004 | Calvià, Spain | Ukraine | China |
| 2006 | Turin, Italy | Armenia | Ukraine |
| 2008 | Dresden, Germany | Armenia | Georgia |
| 2010 | Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia | Ukraine | Russia |
| 2012 | Istanbul, Turkey | Armenia | Russia |
| 2014 | Tromsø, Norway | China | Russia |
| 2016 | Baku, Azerbaijan | United States | China |
| 2018 | Batumi, Georgia | China | China |
| 2022 | Chennai, India | Uzbekistan | Ukraine |
| 2024 | Budapest, Hungary | India | India |
(No Olympiad was held in 2020; the planned edition was cancelled during the pandemic, and FIDE ran an online team event instead.)
Before 1976
Open section (1927–1974): Hungary won the first two official Olympiads (London 1927, The Hague 1928). The 1930s belonged to the United States, which won four in a row. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union entered in 1952 and simply took over — winning the Open gold at every single Olympiad from 1952 to 1974.
Early Open champions: Hungary (1927, 1928), Poland (1930), United States (1931, 1933, 1935, 1937), Germany (1939), Yugoslavia (1950), then the Soviet Union every edition from 1952 through 1974.
Women’s section (1957–1974): the story is even simpler — the Soviet Union won every Women’s Olympiad from the first in 1957 right up to 1974, and would keep winning almost without interruption into the 1980s.
Records & milestones
- Most Open golds: the Soviet Union, with 18 (1952–1990). Add Russia’s six post-Soviet golds and the combined Soviet/Russian tally reaches 24 — untouchable.
- Most Open golds among nations that still exist: Russia and the United States are tied at six each.
- Most Women’s golds: the Soviet Union again, with 11 — it won every Women’s Olympiad from 1957 to 1986 except the boycott-hit 1976. China is next with 6.
- First nation to win both sections at one Olympiad: India, in Budapest 2024 — also India’s first-ever Open gold and first-ever Women’s gold.
- New powers: Uzbekistan’s 2022 Open gold and India’s 2024 double signalled a genuine shift in the chess map away from its old European heartland.
Notable results
- 1976 — the boycott year: with the event in Haifa, several Eastern Bloc federations stayed away, opening the door for the United States (Open) and Israel (Women’s) to win.
- 1978 — streak broken: Hungary ended the Soviet Union’s grip on the Open gold — the only country other than the USA (1976) to interrupt the USSR between 1952 and 1990.
- 1988 & 1990 — the Polgár years: a Hungary women’s team led by the teenage Judit Polgár and her sisters won back-to-back golds.
- 2010–2014 — Russia’s women three-peat: three straight Women’s golds, a run featuring stars like Aleksandra Goryachkina.
- 2022 — Chennai: Nodirbek Abdusattorov anchored Uzbekistan to a shock Open gold, while Ukraine’s women — including the Muzychuk sisters — took the Women’s title. A 16-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju won board-1 gold with a stunning 9/11.
- 2024 — India’s double: in Budapest, India swept both team golds and a hatful of board medals — Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi in the Open, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal in the Women’s.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has won the most Chess Olympiads? The Soviet Union — 18 Open golds and 11 Women’s golds. Counting Russia’s later titles, the Soviet/Russian line has 24 Open golds in all.
Who won the 2024 Chess Olympiad? India, in both the Open and Women’s sections — the first time any nation had done that at a single Olympiad.
Which countries have won the Women’s Chess Olympiad? The Soviet Union (11), China (6), Georgia (4), Russia (3), Hungary (2), Ukraine (2), and India (1).
Has the United States ever won the Chess Olympiad? Yes — six Open golds, most recently in 2016, on top of four in the 1930s and one in 1976.
Where is the next Chess Olympiad? Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September 2026. See the Chess Olympiad hub for details.
Explore more
Read how the event works and what’s next on the Chess Olympiad hub · Compare it with the individual World Chess Championship · Meet the players behind India’s golden era.
Researched and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Verified against FIDE and Wikipedia · Winners and records current as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-11 · How we verify content.