Magnus Carlsen and several of the world's top chess players will miss the Olympiad in Samarkand.

Magnus Carlsen, the world's number one chess player, along with several other prominent grandmasters, will not participate in the World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.

Carlsen has officially confirmed his decision to withdraw from the Norwegian national team. He is joined by Arjan Tari and Jon Ludvig Hammer, who were previously included in the team's preliminary roster in the spring. The absence of these three key players has resulted in Norway dropping to 21st place in the starting rankings for the upcoming tournament.

In addition to the Norwegian chess players, the leaders of other national teams will also miss the Olympiad in Samarkand:

France - Alireza Firouzja;

USA - Hikaru Nakamura and Leinier Dominguez;

Iran - Parham Maghsoodloo and Pouya Idani;

Azerbaijan - Teimour Radjabov;

England - David Howell;

Poland - Radosław Wojtaszek;

Romania – Kirill Shevchenko.

The 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand is expected to attract 400 teams: 208 in the open tournament and 192 in the women's tournament, setting a new record in the history of the competition. The opening ceremony is scheduled for September 15, and the games themselves, played according to the 11-round Swiss system, will take place from September 16 to 27.