25th Chess Olympiad


The 25th Chess Olympiad, organized by FIDE and comprising an open and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 29 and November 16, 1982, in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The Soviet team with three world champions were back in their usual form and this time left no doubt about the outcome. In the end, they only drew one match and finished no less than 6½ points ahead of runners-up Czechoslovakia. The United States took the bronze medals.
Off the board, FIDE elected a new president at its congress held concurrently with the Olympiad. Friðrik Ólafsson of Iceland was succeeded by Florencio Campomanes of the Philippines.

Open event

A total of 91 nations played a 14-round Swiss system tournament - 93 had applied, but The Gambia and Mauritania did not arrive. To make for an even number of teams, the Swiss hosts also fielded a "B" team. For the first time, the two British Channel Islands, Guernsey and Jersey, participated with a joint team.
In the event of a draw, the tie-break was decided first by using the Buchholz system, then by match points.

Individual medals

45 nations were signed up, and to make for an even number of teams, the Swiss hosts also fielded a "B" team. However, the Dominican Republic never showed up, so the competition ended up consisting of an odd 45 teams after all.
In the event of a draw, the tie-break was decided first by using the Buchholz system, then by match points.
Like the open event, the women's tournament was dominated by the Soviet Union, captained by world champion Chiburdanidze, who won the gold medals by a three-point margin. Romania and Hungary took silver and bronze, respectively.

Individual medals