Chess Olympiad 2026

Open section
Standings
ALB
Seeded 72, category B
6 won, 1 drawn, 4 lost
Also in the Women section
Albania as a nation

Albania

In numbers

61

place of 206 after round 11

13

match points from 11 matches

26½

game points; TB1 256, TB3 120

2325

average rating

Roster

Board	Player	Rating	Games	Score	Perf.	±	Favourite
1	IM Franc Ashiku	2388	11	6½	2380	+3
2	IM Dritan Mehmeti	2312	7	2½	2088	−18
3	FM Mateu Boci	2317	10	6½	2320	+15
4	FM Aleksander Xhembulla	2292	10	7½	2374	+30
5	FM Ergit Ramaj	2317	6	3½	2252	−7

Boards follow the order the players have appeared in, as the team list keeps it; board 5 is the reserve. Games and scores count played games only. Performance and rating change come from Lichess. A name opens the player’s page.

Who carries the team

Each board from the player’s rating (hollow) to the performance so far (filled); red, the largest lift, grey, a board below its rating. The grey line is the team’s average rating, the score closes the row. A performance on few games moves a long way.

Matches

Round 1 v Bermuda BER

4–0

Won, 2 match pointsWhite on board 1

1IM Franc Ashiku 23881CM Don Dacres 18460 2Nathan Dennis 17770IM Dritan Mehmeti 23121 3FM Mateu Boci 23171Dylan Flanagan 16720 4Wolde Place 16660FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22921

Round 2 v Israel ISR

1–3

Lost, 0 match pointsBlack on board 1

1GM Maxim Rodshtein 25761IM Franc Ashiku 23880 2IM Dritan Mehmeti 23120GM Avital Boruchovsky 25291 3GM Yahli Sokolovsky 25461FM Mateu Boci 23170 4FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22921GM Ilia Smirin 25780

Round 3 v Nepal NEP

3½–½

Won, 2 match pointsWhite on board 1

1IM Franc Ashiku 23881CM Purushottam Silwal 20930 2FM Rupesh Jaiswal 2151½IM Dritan Mehmeti 2312½ 3FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22921CM Sushrut Dahal 20380 4Aashish Phunyal 20080FM Ergit Ramaj 23171

Round 4 v Australia AUS

1½–2½

Lost, 0 match pointsBlack on board 1

1GM Bobby Cheng 25701IM Franc Ashiku 23880 2FM Mateu Boci 2317½IM Rishi Sardana 2518½ 3GM David C Smerdon 24610FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22921 4FM Ergit Ramaj 23170IM James Morris 24421

Round 5 v Hong Kong, China HKG

½–3½

Lost, 0 match pointsWhite on board 1

1IM Franc Ashiku 2388½FM Niilo Man Nissinen 2354½ 2FM Chun Yung Samuel Lam 22551IM Dritan Mehmeti 23120 3FM Mateu Boci 23170CM Yiheng Li 21261 4FM Ho Cheung Wong 19661FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22920

Round 6 v Palestine PLE

3½–½

Won, 2 match pointsWhite on board 1

1IM Franc Ashiku 23881Ahmad Abdel Wahab 20660 2Majed Altell 20440IM Dritan Mehmeti 23121 3FM Mateu Boci 23171Ahmad Awad 18080 4CM Mohammed Damaj 2112½FM Ergit Ramaj 2317½

Round 7 v Morocco MAR

3–1

Won, 2 match pointsBlack on board 1

1FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22550IM Franc Ashiku 23881 2IM Dritan Mehmeti 23120CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381 3Nidal Ghanoui 21120FM Mateu Boci 23171 4FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22921Abdeslam Zarkik 20670

Round 8 v Sudan SUD

3½–½

Won, 2 match pointsBlack on board 1

1IM Omar Eltigani 22590IM Franc Ashiku 23881 2FM Mateu Boci 23171FM Mohamed Abdalla Abdelazeez 21690 3CM Siddig Eltag 2149½FM Aleksander Xhembulla 2292½ 4FM Ergit Ramaj 23171CM Moawia Ahmed Holi Ali 20890

Round 9 v Moldova MDA

1½–2½

Lost, 0 match pointsWhite on board 1

1IM Franc Ashiku 2388½GM Jegor Lashkin 2490½ 2GM Ivan Schitco 24981FM Mateu Boci 23170 3FM Aleksander Xhembulla 2292½FM Semion Sapocinic 2362½ 4GM Vladimir Hamitevici 2446½FM Ergit Ramaj 2317½

Round 10 v Madagascar MAD

2½–1½

Won, 2 match pointsBlack on board 1

1IM Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo 24261IM Franc Ashiku 23880 2FM Mateu Boci 23171CM Heritiana Andrianiaina 21910 3CM Dylan Rakotomaharavo 21290FM Aleksander Xhembulla 22921 4FM Ergit Ramaj 2317½CM Miora Andriamasoandro 2076½

Round 11 v Iceland ISL

2–2

Drawn, 1 match pointWhite on board 1

1IM Franc Ashiku 2388½GM Vignir Vatnar Stefansson 2531½ 2IM Hilmir Freyr Heimisson 23421IM Dritan Mehmeti 23120 3FM Mateu Boci 23171GM Johann Hjartarson 24610 4GM Gudmundur Kjartansson 2402½FM Aleksander Xhembulla 2292½

Team awards

Whitewash

Round 1
Albania ALB4Bermuda BER0

Won the match 4–0, forfeits included.

Comeback Match

Round 10, board 1 lost
Albania ALB2½Madagascar MAD1½

Lost on board 1 and still won the match.

Sprint Match

125moves

Round 11, 15 + 45 + 33 + 32
Albania ALB2Iceland ISL2

The match whose four boards were over quickest, in moves added together; forfeits never count.