GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR TEAM UGANDA AT THE WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD 2026.

September 28, 2026
Isaac Munanira

PHOTOS CREDIT TO ALLAN MBABANI – UCF TEAM & Bani Chess

FIDE Excellence Awards 2026 & Uganda’s Glorious Samarkand Campaign: Celebrating Royalty, Comebacks, and Historic Heights!

The chess world converged on Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for a dual spectacle of grandmaster combat and high-society recognition: the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad alongside the prestigious FIDE Excellence Awards 2026.

As the global federation recognized the standard-bearers of chess culture and performance, Team Uganda was busy writing its own historic narrative across three formidable squads.

FIDE Excellence Awards 2026: The Honor Roll

The 2026 edition of the FIDE Excellence Awards celebrated trailblazers, prodigies, and institutions driving the game forward:

Best Male Player: Javokhir Sindarov
Best Female Player: Divya Deshmukh
Best Breakthrough: Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş
Best Comeback: Levon Aronian
Best Team: India (Open & Women’s)
Best Player with Disability: Łukasz Nowak
Best Creator (Daniel Naroditsky Award): ChessBase India
Best Tournament Open: Qatar Masters
Best Tournament Round Robin: Norway Chess
Best Federation: Uzbekistan Chess Federation
Best Chess Initiative: Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC)

Hot Chess Moves: Uganda’s Triple Contingent Conquers Samarkand

Building on the passion that launched our contingent to Central Asia, Uganda dispatched three national teams to Samarkand: the Open Team, the Women’s Team, and the Team for People with Disabilities competing at the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities.

Under dynamic on-the-ground leadership, captains SSonko Mathias Alan SSonko (Open), Naisanga Valsheba (Women), and Mugwanya Wilson spearheaded the disabled team’s battle in Samarkand.

1. Open Team: Breaking the Top 100 & Securing a FIDE World Cup Slot!

The Open team delivered an extraordinary recovery from previous years. Starting as the 106th seed, Captain SSonko Matthias’s squad surged up the leaderboard to finish 91st overall (+15 movement) with 12 match points (6 wins, 0 draws, 5 losses).

This outstanding finish inside the Top 100 teams globally (and ranking 6th among all African nations) officially unlocked a FIDE World Cup 2027 slot for Uganda!

This marks Uganda’s third historic World Cup qualification via Olympiad performance—following in the footsteps of Chennai 2022 (82nd) and Istanbul 2012 (90th). The nation now awaits the selection of its board representative to follow past World Cup heroes FM Haruna Nsubuga and IM Arthur Ssegwanyi onto the world stage.

2. Women’s Team: Setting a New All-Time National Record (79th Overall)

The She-Cranes of chess continued their remarkable, unbroken upward trajectory. Led by Captain Naisanga Valsheba, the Women’s team entered seeded 87th and clawed their way up to 79th position (+8 movement).

This 79th-place finish stands as:

The highest absolute final position ever recorded by any Ugandan team in the modern Olympiad era (2010–2026).
A continuation of an incredible 4-Olympiad streak of progression: 96th (Batumi 2018), 91st (Chennai 2022), 86th (Budapest 2024), 79th (Samarkand 2026).

3. Team for People with Disabilities: Valor on the Global Board

Competing concurrently in Samarkand, Uganda’s Disability Team—under Captain Mugwanya Wilson—battled through 7 tough rounds against international competition. Board highlights from the event included decisive victories by Seguya Enock (defeating Aristoteles Quiel Gonzalez) and Masiko Ezekiel (defeating Lizbeth Arlene Guevara Cruz). Their presence and fighting spirit represented a momentous step forward for inclusive sports in Uganda.

The Grand Tradition Continues

Samarkand 2026 will be remembered as the landmark edition in which both Ugandan mainline teams finished well above their starting ranks, earned a World Cup ticket, and broke all-time national records. From the glittering stage of the FIDE Excellence Awards to the tactical combat on the boards, Ugandan chess continues to prove its power on the world map!