Understanding Board One In Team Chess Events

When you have been following a team chess event, have you heard the term “Board One”? Can you explain the term to someone else who plays chess? Knowing what it means helps to understand how players of one team are competing against players of another team. Here’s what you should know about the term.

• What Does Board One Or Board 1 Mean In Chess?
• Why Is Board One Important?
• Does The Strongest Player On A Chess Team Always Play On Board One?
• Does A Win On Board One Win The Match For A Team?
• Are Mistakes Ever Made On Board One?
• When Is Board One Chosen?
• Can A Player Change From Board One To A Lower Board During An Event?

What Does Board One Or Board 1 Mean In Chess?

Board one refers to the top board in a team competition such as the Chess Olympiad. The term is also called first board.

Why Is Board One Important?

The player assigned to board one faces the strongest player of an opposing team. Board two is assigned to play the next strongest opponent, followed by the third board, and so on. According to FIDE Olympiad rules, board one “refers specifically to that board, and not to the player or players who have played.”

A gold medal is awarded for the top performance of each board at an Olympiad. The strongest performance on board one at the 2024 Chess Olympiad was by GM Gukesh Dommaraju of India, which was victorious in both Open and Women’s sections. Because he had the tournament’s best rating performance of 3056, he took individual gold on board one.

Does The Strongest Player On A Chess Team Always Play On Board One?

Although the strongest player—determined by rating or title—on a team is usually assigned to board one, that is not always the case. For example, at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest in 2024, GM Ding Liren was assigned to board one for the China team (he was, after all, the world champion at the time). However, the rating of China’s board two, GM Wei Yi, was 26 points higher than Ding’s.

In events such as the Olympiad where teams compete against each other, each win (regardless of the board) is worth one point, each draw is worth half a point, and nothing is earned for a loss.

Does A Win On Board One Win The Match For A Team?

The board-one player is just one team member playing in a match. To win, the team needs to outscore the opposing team. In round four of the 2024 Olympiad, GM Fabiano Caruana of the United States defeated GM Andrei Volokitin of Ukraine on board one. However, the U.S. team did not win the match because players on boards two and four lost their games.

Are Mistakes Ever Made On Board One?

The caliber of play of the Caruana-Volokitin game is representative of the high-quality performance by elite players when face each other on board one. However, even these players are not immune from making poor decisions. The game was relatively even until Volokitin made an inaccuracy on his 27th move, and Caruana responded with two excellent moves to take advantage of the opportunity.

When Is Board One Chosen?

Typically, board assignments are made before a competition in team chess begins. For FIDE Olympiads, players are listed in a fixed board order by the captain not later than 20 hours before the start of round one.

Can A Player Change From Board One To A Lower Board During An Event?

After assignments are made, players cannot switch boards, although reserve players on a team are often allowed as substitutes. For example, on national teams affiliated with FIDE, four players and one reserve constitute a team in both the Open and Women’s sections.

Now you know the importance of a player being assigned to board one and why board order in team events is critical. In future Olympiads, you may be interested in reviewing the results of the first boards because they are where the top players compete.