US Olympiad teams: Niemann and Liang to make debuts in open squad

The United States has named its open and women’s teams for the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Levon Aronian return in the open section, joined by debutants Hans Niemann and Awonder Liang. The women’s squad includes Carissa Yip, Alice Lee and Irina Krush, alongside Rose Atwell, who will make her Olympiad debut, and Tatev Abrahamyan. | Photos: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes