Uzbekistan is rewarding its chess players with $5,000 USD for becoming grandmasters and $200,000 for winning Olympiad gold, drawing praise from some of the game’s biggest names.
Becoming a chess grandmaster takes years of work, but players in Uzbekistan have an extra financial incentive to earn the title.
The country has increased its cash rewards for chess achievements, with a one-time $5,000 payment for players awarded the international grandmaster title. The biggest payouts come from representing Uzbekistan on the world stage.
According to Kun.uz, a presidential decision dated September 21 set rewards for adult World Chess Olympiad and Paralympiad medals at $200,000 for gold, $100,000 for silver and $50,000 for bronze. All amounts are in US dollars.
Coaches are also rewarded, receiving $50,000 for gold, $25,000 for silver and $12,500 for bronze.
Meanwhile, for FIDE-classified world-level competitions, Uzbekistan awards players $15,000 for gold, $7,500 for silver and $3,750 for bronze.
Each player of the gold medal Uzbekistan team gets US$200,000 from the Government of the country. The coach of the team gets US$50,000.
What is impressive is that the Government has chalked out the details for everything from winning the Olympiads to World Championships, Asian… pic.twitter.com/idxAbL0EaZ
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) September 28, 2026
Chess stars praise Uzbekistan’s support after Olympiad victory
The announcement came just days before Uzbekistan won the Open section of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
The hosts beat Ukraine 2.5–1.5 in the final round on September 27 to secure their second Olympiad title, following their 2022 victory in Chennai. India took silver, while Germany finished with bronze.
ChessBase India highlighted that each player on Uzbekistan’s gold medal team gets $200,000 from the government, prompting reactions from several prominent players.
Hikaru Nakamura replied: “No words needed.”
“How chess should be supported,” David Howell wrote.
Former women’s world champion Susan Polgar added: “When players get this kind of incredible support and incentive, good things happen!”
Glad for boys, deserved, and nice that a country appreciates their achievers.
In contrast, I remember Russian chess team was received by some government officials in Kremlin in 1992, after winning the Olympiad and following EU team Championship.
Nice words in huge amount, and… pic.twitter.com/jQpVEn60Hu
— Vladimir Kramnik (@VBkramnik) September 28, 2026
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik also welcomed the rewards: “Glad for boys, deserved, and nice that a country appreciates their achievers.”
The support was appreciated by the winning team, too. Speaking to ChessBase India after the victory, Shamsiddin Vokhidov said: “I feel happy because our President supports chess. He takes care of us.”
Meanwhile, at that same tournament, an 11-year-old schoolgirl from London became the youngest woman grandmaster in chess history.
Source: Dexerto