How does a chess team choose who plays in each match?
I · Intermediate · The match · 1 of 4The captain chooses which players play in each round and hands in a team list by a set time. If the list is late, the team for that round is the first-named players on the list given in before the event. The captain then tells the players their pairings.
How it works
- Who chooses: the captain. Selecting the players for each round is a listed duty.
- The list: written, naming the players taking part in that round, delivered at a specific time set by the event.
- Missed deadline: "the team list for that round shall be the first named players in the list submitted by the required time before the start of the event".
- At the Olympiad: captains submit their team compositions electronically for each round, and the technical panel then produces the individual pairings.
- Telling the team: the captain communicates the pairings to the players.
- Resting a player: with one reserve, one of the five sits out each round.
- Registration: players are registered by their federation two months before the Olympiad. Later changes carry a fee.
The glossary has the board, the arbiter, the Elo rating, white and black, the Swiss system and the FIDE body.
Tricky cases
A captain forgets to hand in the list. Does the team forfeit?
No. The first-named players on the list submitted before the event play.
Can a captain wait to see the opposing line-up before naming a team?
No. Lists are due at a fixed time, and the pairings are produced from both lists afterwards.
Can a team swap in the reserve halfway through a match?
No. The list names the players for the round. Once the games have started, each is an ordinary game of chess between those two players.
Does a player have to play a minimum number of games?
Not to be in the team. To be eligible for an individual board medal at the Olympiad a player must play at least eight games.
Why the rule exists
Both captains name their teams without seeing the other's choice, so neither can pick a line-up to suit the opponents. The deadline makes that possible, and the fallback of the first-named players means a late list costs a team its choice but never the match.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| General rule | Written list by a set time; first-named players if late | GR 7.1 |
| Chess Olympiad | Lists submitted electronically to the technical panel | Olympiad 2026 Regulations 4.17.6 |
| Board medal eligibility | At least eight games | Olympiad 2026 Regulations 4.6.3.1 |
| Late registration of a team member | A fee of 100 euros a person | Olympiad 2026 Regulations 3.6 |
From the rule book
FIDE, General Regulations for Competitions (Handbook C.05), Article 7.1. FIDE, Chess Olympiad 2026: Regulations for the Main Competition, Articles 3.5, 3.6, 4.6.3 and 4.17.6. FIDE, Captains and Heads of Delegation (applied from 1 July 2022), Article 3.1. Checked 14 October 2026. Official documents: FIDE Handbook sections C.05, C.07, C.10 and D.02.