Following the presentation of the Turkish national teams, the Captains' Meeting started in the Convention Hall of the WOW Hotel.

The Chief Arbiter IA Panagiotis Nikolopoulos announced that 158 teams are registered, of whom 128 attended the meeting.

There were several important instructions explained to the captains. Each team will receive four green cards for the players who will be in the lineup for the respective round. The 5th/reserve player will not be allowed in the playing hall. He/she can observe the play from the spectators' stand.

The presentation of the Turkish National teams took place in the Yakut Hall of the WOW Hotel Convention Center. As the host of the Olympiad, Turkey has the right to join this event with three teams in each categories. This gave Turkey the chance to line up many strong teams, the Turkish Chess Federation chose a different path in the name of the future of chess in the country. Instead of naming the teams B and C, Turkish secondary teams are named after the coming important years and they are composed by young talented players.

The opening ceremony of the 40th World Chess Olympiad will take place today, August 27th, in Istanbul. Venue of the official start of the competition will be at WOW Convention Center at 21:30 local time.

The ceremony will be broadcasted live in 4 languages simultaneously. It will include a warm welcome to the participants, presentation of the host country, a rich cultural program, national and FIDE anthems, officials speeches, and the drawing of colors for the first round.

The opening ceremony will be preceded by a press conference of the Turkish national teams at 19:00 and by the Captains meeting at 20:00, both to be held at WOW Hotel.

Istanbul is truly a world city which everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. It is an enchanting blend of Eastern and Western culture, a vibrant, modern setup with a unique identity. It’s rich past coexists alongside youthful exuberance. Although no longer the capital of Turkey, Istanbul still remains the country's cultural and business center.

Chief Arbiter of the Chess Olympiad IA Panagiotis Nikolopoulos held a meeting with the Deputy Chief Arbiters and Section Arbiters today. The possible issues were discussed and the Arbiters' activities are coordinated.

IA Nikolopoulos already briefed the Arbiters from the Turkish Chess Federation at the yesterday's meeting, while the Section Arbiters will brief the international Match Arbiters upon their arrival.

The Chess Olympiad will have 159 principles, including Arbiters, the TAP Committee and the Appeals Committee.