Osman Hemragulyyev, a 7th-grade student at the Joint Turkmen-Russian comprehensive school named after A.S. Pushkin, was among the prize winners at the Asian continental stage of the 2026 world school chess championship (WSTC 2026), which concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He achieved this success on the first board as part of his school team, which represented Turkmenistan at these prestigious competitions.
The competition, which was held according to the Swiss system in 8 rounds, was organised by the International chess federation (FIDE) and the International schools chess federation (ISCF). 26 teams from 19 Asian countries competed in a battle of wits for a single spot in the 2026 WSTC Grand Final, where four continental champions will compete for the World Schools Championship title.
According to the regulations, each team consisted of four main players, one substitute born between 2012 and 2018 inclusive, and a non-playing captain. Moreover, according to the tournament rules, each team must have at least one boy and one girl.
The «Wisdom School» team from Uzbekistan won the Asian stage of the World team championship among schoolchildren. The team from the Joint Turkmen-Russian comprehensive school named after A.S. Pushkin took 19th place out of 26, and its student Osman Hemragulyyev took third place on the first board, receiving a bronze medal and a corresponding diploma. First place in this nomination went to the young international master from the Kurchatov School (Moscow, Russia) Roman Shogjiyev (FIDE rating – 2399).
Osman has been playing chess since he was 5 years old. His coach is international grandmaster Maksat Atabayev.
In addition to the game rounds, the tournament program included master classes from grandmasters and coaches, educational seminars for coaches and parents, and cultural and educational events.
The participation of our teams in such competitions plays an important role in plans to introduce chess into the school curriculum. This remains one of the key strategic objectives of the Chess federation of Turkmenistan, aimed at the intellectual development of the younger generation.
