World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will not travel to the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand (September 15–27): after the birth of his son he decided against weeks of tournament play and is absent from Norway’s roster. Without him Norway dropped to 21st in the seedings — at the previous Olympiad in Budapest the team also played without him. The Olympiad itself will be record-breaking: 400 teams, 208 in the open section and 192 in the women’s.
Carlsen's decision was no bolt from the blue for anyone following his season: back in spring he spoke about trimming the calendar in favour of selected events and family time. The absence only became official at the roster deadline, when the Norwegian federation received a list without the world No. 1. For the team staff it meant a rebuild: without Carlsen on board one the side lost a chunk of rating points and, more importantly, its chief stabiliser across the eleven-round marathon.
Budapest 2024 is the template: without their leader Norway fought in the middle of the table while the USA and India took the medals, and fans remember the nervous final round more than any single game. Now the Indians and Americans will mostly fight each other — against an Uzbek side playing at home in Samarkand in front of full stands, and against Armenia and China, traditionally strong in team formats.
For Carlsen himself the pause is part of a wider career rethink. Over the past two years he has collected rapid, blitz and freestyle titles, yet classical super-tournaments appear in his calendar ever more rarely. The Olympiad was always special to him — five podium finishes with Norway in various formats — so fans argued all day: some called his absence a loss for the event, others an honest choice of a mature champion.
| Team | Norway | without Carlsen |
| Seeding | 21st | previously top-5 |
| Teams | 400 | an Olympiad record |
What's next. The Olympiad in Samarkand starts September 15 — we will cover the rosters and favourites.
Sources
- Chess.com, accessed 07.09.2026
- WorldChess.com, accessed 07.09.2026
- FIDE, accessed 07.09.2026
Ararat International Online School
