The 35th Chess Olympiad in Bled brought together 135 open and 90 women's national teams for FIDE's premier team chess competition.
Key Facts
- Open teams
- 135
- Women's teams
- 90
- Rounds
- 14
- Dates
- October 25 – November 11, 2002
- Time control per player
- 90 min + 30 sec/move increment
- Chief arbiter
- Geurt Gijssen (Netherlands)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
FIDE organizes the Chess Olympiad biennially to provide a structured international team competition for member nations. Slovenia was selected as host, with Bled chosen as the venue, continuing the tradition of rotating the event among different countries to promote chess globally.
The 35th Chess Olympiad took place in Bled, Slovenia, from October 25 to November 11, 2002. Using the Swiss system over 14 rounds, 135 teams competed in the open section on four boards and 90 teams in the women's section on three boards, all under the supervision of international arbiter Geurt Gijssen.
National teams received medals and seeding-group prizes based on their final standings. The event continued FIDE's role in fostering international chess competition, with tie-breaks resolved by the Buchholz system and match points, providing clear ranking criteria for the participating nations.