00:01For almost two weeks, Samarkand became a meeting point for the chess world.
00:06Hundreds of boards filled the competition hall as national teams played side by side,
00:11with some of the game's strongest players representing their country rather than competing as individuals.
00:17The 46th Fideic Chess Olympiad in Samarkand gathered a record number of participants.
00:22Nearly 400 teams from more than 190 countries competed over 11 rounds in open and women's sections.
00:30For the hosts, it ended with the biggest prize.
00:33Uzbekistan defeated Ukraine in the final round to take gold in the open competition on home soil.
00:47Uzbekistan first won the Olympic title in Chennai in 2022.
00:51In Samarkand, Noderbekabtse Taurav also took individual gold on board one.
01:02India finished with silver, while Germany took bronze.
01:06I think it's by far the best Olympic we've had in recent years, at least as long as I've been
01:10playing.
01:11European teams were strongly represented near the top, with Hungary, France and Spain,
01:16all finishing inside the top 10, alongside Azerbaijan and Armenia.
01:20The women's competition produced a different podium.
01:23China took gold, Kazakhstan silver and India bronze.
01:26Indian Grandmaster Konaruhampi was part of the bronze medal winning team.
01:32There is a lot of attention from all the spectators and followers.
01:37And this is one of the widely followed tournaments from all over the world.
01:40At the closing ceremony, the Olympiad flag was handed over to the United Arab Emirates.
01:46Abu Dhabi will host the next edition in 2028.
