The original formulation for the synthesis of Chebyshev arrays is applicable to the case of an even or odd number of elements for interelement spacing d ≥ λ/2, where λ is the wavelength. The restriction on d is to ensure that the transformation needed for the polynomial/array factor correspondence provides a radiation pattern that is indeed optimal in the sense of supplying the minimum first‐null beamwidth for the given number of elements and specified sidelobe level. This same transformation does not guarantee optimality if d < λ/2. Subsequent formulations show how the transformation must be altered to reclaim optimality if d < λ/2, but only for an odd number of elements. In this paper, we show how the formulation may be broadened to provide a means of synthesizing such optimal arrays for an even number of elements when d < λ/2. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 457–463, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21378