The World Chess Olympiad is a tournament where top ranking players from various countries participate in order to determine which country is superior in the game of chess. The Olympiad is held every second year.
The first World Chess Olympiad was held at Paris, France in 1924. Some 54 players from 18 countries played including
well known names such as Max Euwe, Edgar Colle, Hans Johner and Marcel Duchamp. None of the top world masters at the
time (Jose Raul Capablanca, Emanuel Lasker, Alexander Alekhine or Akiba Rubinstein) played. Alexander Alekhine directed the tournament.
In 1927, England organized the first Chess Olympiad under official FIDE rules and regulations. Every member country
of FIDE was invited to send a team of four players, with two reserves. Matches were held in a round robin between all
the competing teams.
Initially there was no special class for women. The first female Olympiad was in 1957. Since 1976, the two Olympiads (mens
and womens) have occured at the same time and place.
The World Chess Olympiad has been held at the following times and locations, as well as the champion(s) for each year:
- 1924 - mens
Paris, France
Champion: Czechoslovakia
- 1927 - mens
London, Great Britain
Champion: Hungary
- 1928 - mens
The Hague, Netherlands
Champion: Hungary
- 1930 - mens
Hamburg, Germany
Champion: Poland
- 1931 - mens
Prague, Czech
Champion: USA
- 1933 - mens
Folkestone, Great Britain
Champion: USA
- 1935 - mens
Warsaw, Poland
Champion: USA
- 1936 - mens
Munich, Germany
Champion: Hungary
- 1937 - mens
Stockholm, Sweden
Champion: USA
- 1939 - mens
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Champion: Germany
- 1950 - mens
Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
Champion: Yugoslavia
- 1952 - mens
Helsinki, Finland
Champion: USSR
- 1954 - mens
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Champion: USSR
- 1956 - mens
Moscow, USSR
Champion: USSR
- 1957 - womens
Emmen, Netherlands
Champion: USSR
- 1958 - mens
Munich, West Germany
Champion: USSR
- 1960 - mens
Leipzig, East Germany
Champion: USSR
- 1962 - mens
Varna, Bulgaria
Champion: USSR
- 1963 - womens
Split, Yugoslavia
Champion: USSR
- 1964 - mens
Tel Aviv, Israel
Champion: USSR
- 1966 - mens
Havana, Cuba
Champion: USSR
- 1966 - women
Oberhausen, West Germany
Champion: USSR
- 1968 - mens
Lugano, Switzerland
Champion: USSR
- 1969 - womens
Lublin, Poland
Champion: USSR
- 1970 - mens
Siegen, West Germany
Champion: USSR
- 1972 - mens and womens
Skopje, Yugoslavia
Champion: USSR for mens and womens
- 1974 - mens
Nice, France
Champion: USSR
- 1974 - womens
Medelin, Colombia
Champion: USSR
- 1976 - mens and womens
Haifa, Israel
Champion: USA for mens, Israel for womens
- 1978 - mens and womens
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Champion: Hungary for mens and womens
- 1980, mens and womens
La Valetta, Malta
Champion: USSR for mens and womens
- 1982 - mens and womens
Luzern, Switzerland
Champion: USSR for mens and womens
- 1984 - mens and womens
Thessaloniki, Greece
Champion: USSR for mens and womens
- 1986 - mens and womens
Dubai, UAE
Champion: USSR for mens and womens
- 1988 - mens and womens
Thessaloniki, Greece
Champion: USSR for mens, Hungary for womens
- 1990 - mens and womens
Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
Champion: USSR for mens, Hungary for womens
- 1992, mens and womens
Manila, Philippines
Champion: Russia for mens, Georgia for womens
- 1994 - mens and womens
Moscow, Russia
Champion: Russia for mens, Georgia for womens
- 1996 - mens and womens
Yerevan, Armenia
Champion: Russia for mens, Georgia for womens
- 1998 - mens and womens
Elista, Republic of Kalmyl
Champion: Russia for mens, China for womens
- 2000 - mens and womens
Istanbul, Turkey
Champion: Russia for mens, China for womens
- 2002 - mens and womens
Bled, Slovenia
Champion: Russia for mens, China for womens