How is a team chess match scored?
B · Beginner · The match · 3 of 3Two scores are kept. Game points are the players' individual results added together: one for a win, half for a draw. Match points are given for the match as a whole. At the Olympiad a team scores two match points for winning a match, one for drawing it and none for losing, and the standings go by match points.
How it works
- Game points: the "sum of the individual points that each player of the team scores".
- Match points: the points given to a team for winning, drawing or losing a match.
- Winning a match: scoring more game points than the other team. On four boards, 2½ or more.
- A drawn match: equal game points, such as 2-2.
- Olympiad match points: win 2, draw 1, loss 0.
- Olympiad champion: the team with the most match points in the final standings.
- A bye: when the number of teams is odd, the lowest-ranked eligible team sits out and receives one match point and two game points.
- Events differ: some team competitions rank by game points and use match points to break ties.
The glossary has the scoring, the draw, the board, the Swiss system, the Elo rating and the FIDE body.
Tricky cases
A team wins one match 4-0 and loses the next 1½-2½. How many match points?
Two, for the one win. Its 5½ game points count only as a tie-break.
A match finishes 2-2. Who wins?
Nobody. It is a drawn match, and at the Olympiad each team gets one match point.
A team gets a bye. Does it score as a win?
No. At the Olympiad a bye is worth one match point and two game points, the same as a drawn match.
Can a team win a match while losing on board one?
Yes. All boards count equally, so wins lower down outweigh a loss at the top.
Why the rule exists
Ranking by match points makes every match worth the same, so a team is rewarded for winning, not for crushing a weak opponent 4-0. Game points still matter as a tie-break, which keeps players fighting on every board after a match is decided.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chess Olympiad | Ranked by match points: 2, 1 and 0 | Olympiad 2026 Regulations 4.5.1 |
| Bye at the Olympiad | One match point and two game points | Olympiad Pairing Rules 4.3 |
| Other team events | May be decided by game points with match points as the tie-break, or the reverse | Play-Off and Tie-Break Regulations 13.1 |
| Individual events | One score only | FIDE Laws of Chess 10.1 |
From the rule book
FIDE, Chess Olympiad 2026: Regulations for the Main Competition, Article 4.5. FIDE, Play-Off and Tie-Break Regulations (applied from 1 March 2026), Articles 11 and 13. FIDE, Olympiad Pairing Rules (effective 1 January 2022), Article 4. Checked 14 October 2026. Official documents: FIDE Handbook sections C.05, C.07, C.10 and D.02.