The 43rd Chess Olympiad, organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and comprising open and women's tournaments, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, will be held in Batumi, Georgia, from 23 September to 7 October 2018. The Georgian Chess Federation will also host the Chess World Cup 2017 that will take place in Tbilisi. The proposed budget for both events exceeds 20 million USD.
At the 85th FIDE Congress held during the 41st Chess Olympiad, FIDE received bids to host the 2017 World Cup and 2018 Olympiad from the national federations of Georgia and South Africa. South Africa proposed Sun City and Durban as venues, while Georgia proposed Tbilisi and Bakumi respectively. Although Garry Kasparov expressed support for the South African bid during his FIDE presidential campaign, Georgia's bid won, receiving 93 votes to South Africa's 58.