Cuba for the Open team, Azerbaijan for the women. Round five of the Olympiad brings different challenges for Serbia: the men seek a return to winning ways after losing to China, while the women defend their perfect match record against another unbeaten team.
Play starts on Sunday, September 20, at noon in Serbia (CEST), or 3pm in Samarkand. Official schedule
The team pairings are confirmed. Individual line-ups for round five have not yet been published as this preview is prepared on the evening of September 19. The players introduced below are the registered squads, not confirmed board pairings for Sunday.
Open: Cuba - Serbia, match 12
Both teams enter with six match points. Cuba beat Nigeria 3:1 in round four, while Serbia lost to China by the same score. Serbia was seeded 15th and Cuba 44th; these are starting seeds, not current standings.
Serbia is the rating favourite, but Cuba’s registered squad consists of five grandmasters. Jorge Roberto Elias Reyes (2505) has the highest rating, alongside Dylan Isidro Berdayes Ason (2462), Lelys Stanley Martinez Duany (2440), Ermes Espinosa Veloz (2460) and Aramis Alvarez Pedraza (2433). Rodney Oscar Perez Garcia captains the team. Cuba’s registered squad
Elias Reyes and Berdayes Ason scored the wins against Nigeria, while Martinez Duany and Alvarez Pedraza drew. Both of Cuba’s leading players have 3/4 after four rounds. That is reason to take this match seriously, even though the rating comparison is much more favourable for Serbia than it was against China. Round-four results
We expect Serbia to push for both match points. It remains to be seen whether Velimir Ivić returns after resting and how captain Ivan Ivanišević selects his four players. Check the official round-five page for the final line-up and board colours.
Follow round five: Open, matches 1–12
Women: Azerbaijan - Serbia, match 5
This is a meeting of two teams with four wins and eight match points. Serbia beat Iran 3½:½, while Azerbaijan defeated England 2½:1½. Govhar Beydullayeva scored the only win in that match, against Lan Yao; the other three games were drawn. Round-four results
Seventh seed Azerbaijan is a considerably tougher rating challenge than Serbia’s previous opponents. Its registered squad is Ulviyya Fataliyeva (2402), Govhar Beydullayeva (2392), Gunay Mammadzada (2351), Khanim Balajayeva (2356) and Gulnar Mammadova (2311), captained by Nijat Abasov. Azerbaijan’s registered squad
There are major individual titles behind those names. Ulviyya Fataliyeva won the 2024 European Women’s Championship with 8½/10, a full point clear of the field. Govhar Beydullayeva was the 2022 World Girls’ Under-20 Champion. FIDE: Fataliyeva · FIDE: Beydullayeva
This is Serbia’s toughest Women’s match so far. Elif Mehmed enters with 4/4, and the team has yet to lose a game. Extending that run would be excellent, but a close contest is to be expected against such an evenly matched squad. Alisa Marić’s selection and the individual opponents will become clear once the line-ups are published. Official round-five pairings
Follow round five: Women, matches 1–25
If you missed today’s games, our round-four report has all eight boards, the results and a closer look at Wei Yi’s win over Inđić.