Latvia has named its squads for the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, balancing seasoned veterans and emerging talent while facing high international competition. Simultaneously, FIDE has announced plans to distribute electronic DGT boards used during the tournament to federations worldwide.
Squad Selections and Rankings in Samarkand
The Latvian men’s chess team heading to Samarkand features grandmasters Toms Kantāns (2551), Ņikita Meškovs (2545), and Normunds Miezis (2399), alongside Candidate Master Georgijs Germanovs (2389) and FIDE Master Reinis Paikens (2290). Based on the team’s average rating, the men’s squad is seeded 44th among 208 competing nations.
Miezis anchors the roster as the most experienced player, marking his 12th appearance at a Chess Olympiad. Kantāns competes for the sixth time, while Meškovs makes his fourth trip. Germanovs and Paiken are slated for their debuts in the premier international team event. Personal reasons kept grandmaster Arturs Neikšāns off the roster for this event.
On the women’s side, grandmasters Laura Rogule (2256) and Ilze Bērziņa (2154) lead a lineup complemented by three younger competitors: the last two years’ Latvian champion and FIDE Master Marija Kuzņecova (2248), Woman International Master Agnesa Stepania Ter-Avetisjana (2141), and Woman FIDE Master Naomi Maklakova (2135). Grandmaster Edvīns Ķeņģis serves as the team coach, and the women’s team enters the starting list at 36th out of 190 registered delegations.
Historical Milestones and Notable Presence
Bērziņa sets a national benchmark with her 13th Olympiad appearance, the highest count across both Latvian squads. Rogule participates for the tenth time, Ter-Avetisjan records her third appearance, and Kuzņecova and Maklakova make their initial tournament starts.
Beyond the competing players, grandmaster and FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece is present at the venue in Samarkand, operating as part of the Olympiad organizing committee rather than occupying a player seat.
Latvia’s strongest historic performance at an Olympiad occurred in 1992 in Manila, where the men’s team finished fifth and the women’s team placed 12th. At the preceding Olympiad held in Budapest in 2024, the men’s delegation concluded in 28th position, while the women finished 31st.
Global Distribution of Tournament Equipment
The physical footprint of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad will extend far beyond Uzbekistan once the final round concludes. Rather than storing the equipment, organizers announced that approximately 900 electronic DGT boards utilized throughout the eleven rounds of the Open and Women’s sections will be reallocated.
These are operational tournament boards rather than souvenir replicas. National federations seeking to acquire them for local use can submit requests to [email protected] with their specified board quantities.
Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, stated that the Chess Olympiad brings together the entire chess world, and these boards will carry that spirit into federations across every continent, adding that they symbolize the very spirit of Gens Una Sumus while providing an important practical solution for many federations.
Context and International Scope
Organized biennially by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Chess Olympiad remains the premier team competition in the sport, drawing thousands of competitors from around the globe to play under identical tournament conditions. The initiative to distribute the official match boards aims to supply national organizations with reliable tournament infrastructure while preserving the physical history of the Samarkand matches.
