TEHRAN – Iran’s women’s and men’s national chess teams each secured a 4–0 victory over their opponents in the opening round of the 46th World Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand.
The 45th edition of the World Chess Olympiad began on Wednesday in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, with Iran’s women’s and men’s teams both opening their campaigns with victories.
Iran’s men’s national team faced Mozambique in the opening round and defeated their opponents 4–0 after winning all four individual games.
In the women’s section, Iran faced Cyprus in its opening match and also secured a 4–0 victory.
Following their first-round victory over Mozambique, the Iranian men’s team—comprising Amin Tabatabaei, Bardia Daneshvar, Mehdi Gholami, and Reza Mahdi—defeated Bolivia 3.5 to 0.5 in the second round.
In the women’s division, after defeating Cyprus, the Iranian national team—featuring Mobina Alinasab, Melika Mohammadi, Anousha Mahdian, and Parva Behzad Nazif—faced Sri Lanka in the second round and won 3–1.
In the upcoming third round of the tournament, the men’s team is set to compete against Belgium, while the women’s team will face France.
The 46th World Chess Olympiad is taking place in Samarkand from September 16 to 27, with Iran’s national men’s and women’s teams participating in the event.