The U.S. Olympic Teams

Strong, but...

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad starts in mid-September, in Uzbekistan (and the home team will certainly be among the favorites). The U.S. teams have been announced, and the “men’s” (Open) team is strong: Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Hans Niemann, Levon Aronian, and Awonder Liang. Strong, but it could have been stronger: Hikaru Nakamura and Leinier Dominguez aren’t playing. Nakamura declined the opportunity, which he has done since 2018 - it may not be a matter of his being a stay-at-home streamer - while Dominguez was passed over despite being higher-rated than than Niemann, Aronian, and Liang. It’s true that he hasn’t played much classical chess this past year, but he has been active in blitz, rapid, and Chess960. So I’m disappointed in that decision, but it’s a great chance for Liang to rise to the occasion.

Even without Nakamura and Dominguez, the U.S. will be among the favorites, along with the home country (winners in 2022), India (the defending champions from 2024), and China (winners in 2018). The U.S. last won in 2016, coming in second in 2018 and 2024.

The U.S. women’s team is getting stronger, though I don’t know how seriously they’ll contend for first. There’s Carissa Yip, Alice Lee, Irina Krush, Rose Atwell, and Tatev Abrahamyan. Krush is a GM; the other four IMs (technically Atwell is an “IM-elect”; she’ll receive the title at the event). Krush’s results haven’t been amazing in recent years, but she seems to be on something of an upswing. Atwell, though, is improving rapidly, as teenagers are wont to do (she’s 17). Lee is even younger - just 16 - while Yip is just 22 and still early in her career. They’re good, but the Chinese have the top 4 players on the rating list (and the #9 player as well), while India has three players in the top 13, Ukraine has three in the top 19, Georgia 5 in the top 39, Kazakhstan rising with Bibisara Assaubayeva and a couple of 2400s, etc.

How are your countries looking?