India’s chess team faced a long wait for hotel rooms after arriving in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Tuesday. The players and staff reportedly waited for more than five hours, with no clear update on when their rooms would be allotted. The ordeal, which comes a day before the Chess Olympiad begins, has grabbed attention after team captain Srinath Narayanan and Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi publicly raised concerns over the arrangements.

Indian Captain Voices Frustration

Men’s team captain and Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan took to social media to highlight the delay. He said the team had been at the airport for hours but still had no clarity about when their rooms would be allotted. He wrote on X, “Having a terrible experience at the @FIDE_chess 2026 Olympiad. The team landed 5 hours ago at Samarkand airport. The team still haven’t been allotted rooms, with absolutely no clarity on when it’ll be allotted.”

Vidit Gujrathi Expresses Disappointment

Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi also expressed disappointment over the arrangements in Samarkand. Describing the team’s arrival experience, Gujrathi wrote on X, “Very poor first impressions of the Samarkand, Uzbekistan Olympiad 2026. Still waiting.” Their accounts highlight the lack of clarity faced by players and support staff after their arrival in the country.

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Chess Olympiad

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad is scheduled to be held from September 16 to 27 in Samarkand. India will enter the Olympiad as the defending champion in the open section. The men’s squad includes reigning world champion D Gukesh, along with Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi. Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan is the team captain.

India’s Women’s Team
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s squad is led by captain Koneru Humpy and includes R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B. Both the men’s and women’s teams will be looking to defend their titles after making history at the 2024 Chess Olympiad by winning gold medals in their respective sections.

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