This article or section should include material from Chess tournament history

The Chess Olympiad is a chess event which has been officially organised by FIDE since 1927 and takes place every second year. Prior to World War II the event was occasionally held annually. There was also an "unofficial" series of Chess Olympiads which ended in 1976. Chess is not included as one of the recognised Olympic sports, however FIDE is now a member of the International Olympic Committee, adhering to its rules, which means it may become an Olympic event some day in the future.

The trophy for the winning women's team is known as the Vera Menchik Cup.

Men's olympiads

• 1924: 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad, Paris, France -- Czechoslovakia.
• 1927: 1st Chess Olympiad, London, United Kingdom, -- Hungary.
• 1928: 2nd Chess Olympiad, The Hague, Netherlands, -- Hungary.
• 1930: 3rd Chess Olympiad, Hamburg, Germany, -- Poland.
• 1931: 4th Chess Olympiad, Prague, Czechoslovakia, -- USA.
• 1931: 2nd unofficial Chess Olympiad, Budapest, Hungary, -- Hungary.
• 1933: 5th Chess Olympiad, Folkestone, England, -- USA.
• 1935: 6th Chess Olympiad, Warsaw, Poland, -- USA.
• 1936: 3rd unofficial Chess Olympiad, Munich, Germany, -- Hungary.
• 1937: 7th Chess Olympiad, Stockholm, Sweden, -- USA.
• 1939: 8th Chess Olympiad, Buenos Aires, Argentina, -- Czechoslovakia.
• 1950: 9th Chess Olympiad, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, -- Yugoslavia.
• 1952: 10th Chess Olympiad, Helsinki, Finland, -- USSR.
• 1954: 11th Chess Olympiad, Amsterdam, Netherlands, -- USSR.
• 1956: 12th Chess Olympiad, Moscow, USSR, -- USSR.
• 1958: 13th Chess Olympiad, Munich, West Germany, -- USSR.
• 1960: 14th Chess Olympiad, Leipzig, West Germany, -- USSR.
• 1962: 15th Chess Olympiad, Varna, Bulgaria, -- USSR.
• 1964: 16th Chess Olympiad, Tel Aviv, Israel, -- USSR.
• 1966: 17th Chess Olympiad, Havana, Cuba, -- USSR.
• 1968: 18th Chess Olympiad, Lugano, Switzerland, -- USSR.
• 1970: 19th Chess Olympiad, Siegen, West Germany, -- USSR.
• 1972: 20th Chess Olympiad, Skopje, Yugoslavia, -- USSR.
• 1974: 21st Chess Olympiad, Nice, France, -- USSR.
• 1976: 22nd Chess Olympiad, Haifa, Israel, -- USA.
• 1976: 4th unofficial Chess Olympiad, Tripoli, Libya, -- El Salvador.
• 1978: 23rd Chess Olympiad, Buenos Aires, Argentina, -- Hungary.
• 1980: 24th Chess Olympiad, Valletta, Malta, -- USSR.
• 1982: 25th Chess Olympiad, Lucerne, Switzerland, -- USSR.
• 1984: 26th Chess Olympiad, Thessaloniki, Greece, -- USSR.
• 1986: 27th Chess Olympiad, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, -- USSR.
• 1988: 28th Chess Olympiad, Thessaloniki, Greece, -- USSR.
• 1990: 29th Chess Olympiad, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, -- USSR.
• 1992: 30th Chess Olympiad, Manila, Philippines, -- Russia.
• 1994: 31st Chess Olympiad, Moscow, Russia, -- Russia I.
• 1996: 32nd Chess Olympiad, Yerevan, Armenia, -- Russia.
• 1998: 33rd Chess Olympiad, Elista, Kalmykia, -- Russia.
• 2000: 34th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul, Turkey, -- Russia.
• 2002: 35th Chess Olympiad, Bled, Slovenia, -- Russia.
• 2004: 36th Chess Olympiad, Calvi , Spain, -- Ukraine.

The 2006 Olympiad is due to be held in Turin in Italy, and the 2008 event in Dresden in Germany (which beat the only other bidder, Tallinn).

See also

Children's Chess Olympiad, Computer Chess Olympiad, Mind Sports Organisation

External links

• Official FIDE regulations for the Olympiad (http://www.fide.com/official/handbook.asp?level=DD207)
• OlimpBase - The History of the Chess Olympiads (http://www.olimpbase.org/)
• 35th Chess Olympiad (http://35chessolympiad.com/)
• 36th Chess Olympiad (http://36chessolympiad.com/)