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World Team Chess Championship

The World Team Chess Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of 10 countries whose chess federations dominate their continent. It is played every two years. In chess, this tournament and the Chess Olympiads are the most important international tournaments for teams.

The strongest national teams in the world participate, and also some teams representing a continent. A full round is played by the teams, meaning that each team plays against every other team. At the first tournament, in 1985, teams consisted of six players, since then of four players. Reserve players are permitted.

From 1985 the championship was held every four years, since 2011 every two years. Since 2007 there is a separate championship for women teams, which is also held every two years.
Since 2007 the final scores depend on the team results, before 2007 the individual scores determined the final ranking.

Summary of results

Open section team medals

Year Location
Gold Silver Bronze
1985 Lucerne
Details
Soviet Union
Anatoly Karpov
Artur Yusupov
Rafael Vaganian
Andrei Sokolov
Alexander Beliavsky
Vasily Smyslov
Alexander Chernin
Lev Polugaevsky
Hungary
Lajos Portisch
Zoltán Ribli
Gyula Sax
Joszef Pinter
András Adorján
Ivan Farago
István Csom
Atilla Groszpeter
England
Tony Miles
John Nunn
Jonathan Speelman
Nigel Short
Jonathan Mestel
Murray Chandler
James Plaskett
Glenn Flear
1989 Lucerne
Details
Soviet Union
Anatoly Karpov
Alexander Beliavsky
Jaan Ehlvest
Rafael Vaganian
Vassily Ivanchuk
Mikhail Gurevich
Yugoslavia
Ljubomir Ljubojević
Predrag Nikolić
Petar Popovic
Dragoljub Velimirovic
Božidar Ivanović
Branko Damljanovic
England
Nigel Short
Jonathan Speelman
John Nunn
Murray Chandler
Michael Adams
Julian Hodgson
1993 Lucerne
Details
United States
Gata Kamsky
Alex Yermolinsky
Boris Gulko
Gregory Kaidanov
Joel Benjamin
Larry Christiansen
Ukraine
Vassily Ivanchuk
Vladimir Malaniuk
Oleg Romanishin
Vladimir Tukmakov
Viacheslav Eingorn
Arthur Frolov
Russia
Vladimir Kramnik
Alexander Khalifman
Evgeny Bareev
Sergey Dolmatov
Alexei Dreev
Alexey Vyzmanavin
1997 Lucerne
Details
Russia
Evgeny Bareev
Peter Svidler
Alexander Khalifman
Sergei Rublevsky
Alexei Dreev
Vadim Zvjaginsev
United States
Alex Yermolinsky
Joel Benjamin
Boris Gulko
Nick De Firmian
Gregory Kaidanov
Larry Christiansen
Armenia
Vladimir Akopian
Rafael Vaganian
Smbat Lputian
Artashes Minasian
Ashot Anastasian
Melikset Khachiyan
2001 Yerevan
Details
Ukraine
Vassily Ivanchuk
Ruslan Ponomariov
Vladimir Baklan
Viacheslav Eingorn
Oleg Romanishin
Vadim Malakhatko
Russia
Peter Svidler
Alexei Dreev
Alexander Grischuk
Sergei Rublevsky
Konstantin Sakaev
Alexander Motylev
Armenia
Vladimir Akopian
Rafael Vaganian
Smbat Lputian
Karen Asrian
Ashot Anastasian
Artashes Minasian
2005 Beersheba
Details
Russia
Peter Svidler
Alexei Dreev
Alexander Grischuk
Alexander Morozevich
Evgeny Bareev
Sergei Rublevsky
China
Bu Xiangzhi
Zhang Pengxiang
Ni Hua
Zhao Jun
Zhou Jianchao
Liang Chong
Armenia
Levon Aronian
Vladimir Akopian
Karen Asrian
Rafael Vaganian
Smbat Lputyan
Ashot Anastasian
2009 Bursa
Details
Russia
Alexander Grischuk
Dmitry Jakovenko
Alexander Morozevich
Evgeny Tomashevsky
Vladimir Malakhov
Nikita Vitiugov
United States

Hikaru Nakamura
Alexander Onischuk
Yuri Shulman
Varuzhan Akobian
Robert Hess
Ray Robson

India
Pendyala Harikrishna
Surya Shekhar Ganguly
Krishnan Sasikiran
Geetha Narayanan Gopal
Subramanian Arun Prasad
Baskaran Adhiban
2011 Ningbo
Details
Armenia

Levon Aronian
Sergei Movsesian
Vladimir Akopian
Gabriel Sargissian
Robert Hovhannisyan

China

Wang Hao
Wang Yue
Li Chao
Yu Yangyi
Ding Liren

Ukraine

Vassily Ivanchuk
Pavel Eljanov
Zahar Efimenko
Alexander Moiseenko
Alexander Areshchenko

2013 Antalya
Details
Russia

Vladimir Kramnik
Sergey Karjakin
Alexander Grischuk
Ian Nepomniachtchi
Nikita Vitiugov

China

Li Chao
Ding Liren
Wang Yue
Bu Xiangzhi
Yu Yangyi

Ukraine

Vassily Ivanchuk
Anton Korobov
Alexander Moiseenko
Yuriy Kryvoruchko
Alexander Areshchenko

2015 Tsakhkadzor China

Ding Liren
Yu Yangyi
Bu Xiangzhi
Wei Yi
Wang Chen

Ukraine

Ruslan Ponomariov
Vassily Ivanchuk
Pavel Eljanov
Yuriy Kryvoruchko
Alexander Moiseenko

Armenia

Levon Aronian
Gabriel Sargissian
Sergei Movsesian
Vladimir Akopian
Hrant Melkumyan

Women's team medals

Year Location
Gold Silver Bronze
2007 Yekaterinburg
Details
China
Hou Yifan
Zhao Xue
Shen Yang
Ruan Lufei
Huang Qian
Russia
Tatiana Kosintseva
Nadezhda Kosintseva
Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
Ekaterina Korbut
Elena Tairova
Ukraine
Kateryna Lahno
Anna Ushenina
Inna Gaponenko
Tatjana Vasilevich
Oksana Vozovic
2009 Ningbo
Details
China
Hou Yifan
Zhao Xue
Shen Yang
Ju Wenjun
Huang Qian
Russia
Tatiana Kosintseva
Nadezhda Kosintseva
Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
Marina Romanko
Valentina Gunina
Ukraine
Anna Ushenina
Natalia Zhukova
Inna Yanovska
Mariya Muzychuk
Natalia Zdebskaja
2011 Mardin
Details
China
Hou Yifan
Ju Wenjun
Zhao Xue
Tan Zhongyi
Zhang Xiaowen
Russia
Nadezhda Kosintseva
Tatiana Kosintseva
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Valentina Gunina
Natalia Pogonina
Georgia
Nana Dzagnidze
Lela Javakhishvili
Bela Khotenashvili
Nino Khurtsidze
Salome Melia
2013 Astana
Details
Ukraine
Kateryna Lahno
Anna Ushenina
Mariya Muzychuk
Natalia Zhukova
Inna Gaponenko
China
Ju Wenjun
Huang Qian
Tan Zhongyi
Guo Qi
Shen Yang
Russia
Valentina Gunina
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Natalia Pogonina
Alisa Galliamova
Olga Girya
2015 Chengdu
Details
Georgia
Bela Khotenashvili
Lela Javakhishvili
Meri Arabidze
Nino Batsiashvili
Salome Melia
Russia
Valentina Gunina
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Natalija Pogonina
Aleksandra Goryachkina
Olga Girya
China
Ju Wenjun
Tan Zhongyi
Shen Yang
Lei Tingjie
Ding Yixin

Total team ranking (Open section)

The table contains the men's teams ranked by the medals won at the World Team Championships.

Rank Country 1st place 2nd place 3rd place Total
1 Russia 4 1 1 6
2 Soviet Union 2 0 0 2
3 China 1 3 0 4
4 Ukraine 1 2 2 5
5 United States 1 2 0 3
6 Armenia 1 0 4 5
7 Hungary 0 1 0 1
7 Yugoslavia 0 1 0 1
9 England 0 0 2 2
10 India 0 0 1 1

Total team ranking (Women's team medals)

The table contains the women's teams ranked by the medals won at the World Team Championships.

Rank Country 1st place 2nd place 3rd place Total
1 China 3 1 1 5
2 Ukraine 1 0 2 3
3 Georgia 1 0 1 2
4 Russia 0 4 1 5
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