The winners of the Turkmenistan National Championships in classical chess among boys and girls in the age categories Under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 have been determined. The competitions, which brought together around 500 young players from all velayats of the country, were held at the Specialized Chess and Checkers School in Ashgabat.
In the youngest boys’ category Under 8, contested by 76 players, victory was secured thanks to strong opening preparation by Kerim Babaev, a student of the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School, who scored 8 points out of 9. Begmyrat Agamamedov from Lebap velayat finished half a point behind him. The bronze medal, with 7 points, went to Hangeldi Myradov, also representing Lebap.
In the girls’ Under 8 category, which featured 36 participants, the fight for the championship unfolded among players from Lebap velayat. The winner was last year’s champion in the Under 7 category, Meryem Rustemova, who scored 8 points in 9 games. She claimed first place over Lachin Isaeva on tie-breaks. Third place, with 6.5 points, was taken by Chinar Pirkulieva.
In the boys’ Under 10 category, with 82 participants, the battle for the title developed between the Charyev brothers. The younger of the two, Charykhekim, won an age category one year above his own for the third consecutive year, scoring 8 points. His brother Halilmukhammet finished half a point behind to take silver. The bronze medal, with 7 points, went to Azat Sapardurdyyev from Mary velayat.
In the girls’ Under 10 category, 34 players competed for the title. The champion was Byagul Jumaeva from Lebap, who scored 7.5 points and had previously won the Under 9 category. World Championship bronze medalist among girls Under 8, Anna Charyeva from Mary velayat, finished second with 7 points. Third place, decided on tie-breaks, went to Enejan Charygeldiyeva, a student of the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School.
In the boys’ Under 12 category, which included 67 players, Nazar Narimanov from Lebap and Omarbek Ismailov from Dashoguz velayat each scored 7.5 points. Based on the result of their head-to-head encounter, Nazar claimed the national title for the first time. The bronze medal, with 7 points, was won by Azat Rejepov from Lebap velayat.
In the girls’ Under 12 category, among 27 participants, the champion was Ayya Bayramova from Lebap velayat, who scored 8.5 points out of 9. She finished half a point ahead of Dilber Hupbyeva from Dashoguz velayat. Third place, with 6 points, went to Zalina Iminova from the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School.
In the highly competitive boys’ Under 14 category, featuring 48 players, Ali Ahmedov claimed a hard-fought victory without losing a single game. He scored 7.5 points in 9 rounds, finishing half a point ahead of Emir Amanmukhammedov from Mary velayat, who took second place. Alihan Batyrov, a student of the Mary Chess School who had led the tournament for most of its duration, finished third with 6.5 points after a loss in the eighth round.
In the girls’ Under 14 category, with 29 participants, Nurana Soyunova from the private academy “Kusht Alemi” claimed a confident victory with 8.5 points, demonstrating that a 200-point rating advantage was no coincidence. Second and third places were taken respectively by representatives of Lebap velayat: Nurkhan Babanazarova (7.5 points) and Nebahat Muradova (6.5 points).
In the boys’ Under 16 category, among 35 participants, first place with 8 points was won by Ashyrmukhammet Atayev, a student of the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School, who had previously won the Under 17 category. He confirmed his superiority largely thanks to a victory over Gurbanmyrat Rustemov, who this year earned the right to compete in the higher league of the Turkmenistan Championship. Both Akhmet Artykov from Mary velayat and Gurbanmyrat Rustemov from Lebap scored 7.5 points. However, based on tie-breaks, A. Artykov took silver, while G. Rustemov received the bronze medal.
In the girls’ Under 16 category, where 17 players contested the championship title, the fight for gold unfolded between two representatives of Lebap: the reigning women’s champion Jahan Rejepova and last year’s category champion Myakhri Agamyradova. Their head-to-head game ended in a draw, and as a result of an early setback in the tournament, Myakhri finished second with 8 points, half a point behind Jahan. Third place, with 6 points, went to Arzygul Mukhamova from the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School.
In the oldest boys’ category, Under 18, which featured many strong players born in 2008 representing Lebap velayat, the fate of the gold medal among 27 participants was decided by the reduced Buchholz tie-break. It favored Shageldi Gurbandurdyyev, who scored 8 points and became the champion. Sanjar Gaybullayev, who also scored 8 points, finished second. Third place, with 7.5 points, went to Serdar Bayramov, another representative of the Lebap Chess School.
The only perfect score of the entire tournament in the girls’ Under 18 category, which included 13 participants, was achieved by Jennet Yalkanova from Mary velayat. She scored 9 points out of 9 and finished 2.5 points ahead of her closest rival, Myakhrijemal Gurbangeldiyeva from the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School. The bronze medal, with 6.5 points, went to Myakhri Aymakova from Lebap, who lost the battle for second place on tie-breaks.
The championships in the even-numbered age categories are a key stage of the national selection system. Based on the results of these competitions, the national team will be formed to represent Turkmenistan at international tournaments held under the auspices of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF).
The organization of such tournaments also contributes to the popularization of chess among children, the development of logical and strategic thinking in the younger generation, and the formation of the country’s intellectual potential.
