Chess Olympiad 2026

Open section
Standings
MAR
Seeded 109, category C
5 won, 0 drawn, 6 lost
Also in the Women section
Morocco as a nation

Morocco

In numbers

123

place of 206 after round 11

10

match points from 11 matches

21½

game points; TB1 175, TB3 116

2153

average rating

Roster

Board	Player	Rating	Games	Score	Perf.	±	Favourite
1	FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou	2255	10	5	2250	−3
2	CM Yasser Hadj Kholti	2238	10	7½	2437	+53
3	Nidal Ghanoui	2112	9	2½	2027	−26
4	Noureddine Messala	2092	7	3½	2052	−6
5	Abdeslam Zarkik	2067	8	3	1982	−25

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 Azerbaijan AZE

0–4

Lost, 0 match pointsWhite on board 1

1FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22550GM Aydin Suleymanli 26641 2GM Mahammad Muradli 26531CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22380 3Nidal Ghanoui 21120GM Rauf Mamedov 26311 4GM Eltaj Safarli 26161Abdeslam Zarkik 20670

Round 2 v Jersey JCI

4–0

Won, 2 match pointsBlack on board 1

1CM Jem Gurner 21080FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22551 2CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381Paul A Carpenter 18580 3Gary Clark 18310Nidal Ghanoui 21121 4Noureddine Messala 20921James Auckland 17440

Round 3 v Uzbekistan 3 UZB

½–3½

Lost, 0 match pointsBlack on board 1

1IM Saidakbar Saydaliev 24751FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22550 2CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 2238½IM Bakhrom Bakhrillaev 2412½ 3IM Mukhammadali Abdurakhmonov 23901Nidal Ghanoui 21120 4Noureddine Messala 20920IM Asrorjon Omonov 23471

Round 4 v Sao Tome and Principe STP

3½–½

Won, 2 match pointsWhite on board 1

1FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22551Sergio Pereira 20160 2CM Waldyr Espirito Santo 18880CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381 3Noureddine Messala 20921Nascimento Admilton de Ceita dos Santos 18580 4Jeremias Costa G Miguel 1785½Abdeslam Zarkik 2067½

Round 5 v Costa Rica CRC

0–4

Lost, 0 match pointsWhite on board 1

1FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22550IM Leonardo Valdes Romero 23051 2IM Sebastian Mihajlov 23721CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22380 3Nidal Ghanoui 21120FM David Alejandro Cabezas Solano 22711 4FM Matias Haziel Lizano Quiros 21691Noureddine Messala 20920

Round 6 v Guam GUM

2½–1½

Won, 2 match pointsBlack on board 1

1CM Elmer Prudente 19830FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22551 2Nidal Ghanoui 21120CM Tuan An Tran 19451 3James Marcus Justo 2060½Noureddine Messala 2092½ 4Abdeslam Zarkik 20671Benchly Cabanayan Buccat 18880

Round 7 v Albania ALB

1–3

Lost, 0 match pointsWhite 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 Cameroon CMR

4–0

Won, 2 match pointsBlack on board 1

1FM Ebosse Kingue Victor Patrick 19950FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22551 2CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381Donkeng Hussel 20200 3IM Amba Oyon Marius Claude 19630Noureddine Messala 20921 4Abdeslam Zarkik 20671CM Makem Pierre 18330

Round 9 v Kosovo * KOS

1½–2½

Lost, 0 match pointsBlack on board 1

1IM Nderim Saraci 24530CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381 2Nidal Ghanoui 2112½FM Endrit Uruci 2312½ 3FM Muhamet Asllani 22291Noureddine Messala 20920 4Abdeslam Zarkik 20670CM Korab Saraci 22231

Round 10 v Saudi Arabia KSA

3½–½

Won, 2 match pointsWhite on board 1

1FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22551FM Ahmed Abdullah S Alrehaili 21060 2Mohammed Fahad M Alsemail 19820CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381 3Nidal Ghanoui 21121Mohammed Dhaidan N Alotaibi 18680 4Yazeed Alshnaiber 1866½Abdeslam Zarkik 2067½

Round 11 v Chinese Taipei TPE

1–3

Lost, 0 match pointsWhite on board 1

1FM Mohamed-Mehdi Aithmidou 22550IM Adelard Bai 24681 2GM Raymond Song 24980CM Yasser Hadj Kholti 22381 3Nidal Ghanoui 21120Jun-Wei Chen 21801 4CM Yeh Yang Liu 20511Abdeslam Zarkik 20670

Team awards

Deep Thinkers

3:26per move

Round 1, 114 moves timed in 4 games
Morocco MAR

Most seconds per move over the team's games with usable clocks.

Whitewash

Round 2
Morocco MAR4Jersey JCI0

Won the match 4–0, forfeits included.

Endgame Match

152endgame moves

Round 6
Morocco MAR2½Guam GUM1½

The match with the most endgame moves over its four boards.

Zeitnot Nation

39.3% under five minutes

Round 6, 96 of 244 moves in 4 games
Morocco MAR

Highest share of moves played with under five minutes on the clock.

Whitewash

Round 8
Morocco MAR4Cameroon CMR0

Won the match 4–0, forfeits included.