48-year-old national master of sports in chess Vepa Malikgulyyev was re-elected as chairman of the Chess federation of Turkmenistan (CFT) for a new four-year term. His candidacy was unanimously supported by more than 50 delegates from the capital and all the velayats of the country, who gathered at the reporting and election meeting at the Specialised chess and checkers school of Ashgabat.
Mergen Kakabayev was also unanimously re-elected as the General secretary of Federation for another four-year term. In addition, the delegates elected a new Presidium and Audit Commission, and officially approved membership of the CFT in the Turkic chess association (TCA).
The head of the CFT developed an interest in chess in his childhood: he became the champion of Turkmenistan among juniors in the categories under 16, 18, and 20 years old and repeatedly represented the country at the World and Asian junior championships. Vepa Malikgulyyev graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master's degree in «economic development», played for national team of the university, and today successfully combines work in economic development of Turkmenistan with his own entrepreneurial venture.
Having first taken charge of the Chess federation of Turkmenistan on the 26th of February, 2022, over the past four years he has transformed it into a mass and internationally recognised organisation operating in strict integration with the FIDE rating system.
In particular, as noted at the meeting, over the period from 2022 to 2026, the number of members of the CFT increased from 60 to 1,3 thousand people. The Federation held 410 tournaments with FIDE ratings, and the number of active rated chess players in the country increased from 8 to 389. The proportion of women among players registered with the International chess federation has reached 26 percent.
Position of Turkmenistan in the professional arena is also significantly strengthening. The number of grandmasters in the country increased from five to eight: Meylis Annaberdiyev, Yusup Atabayev, and Saparmyrat Atabayev received honorary titles.
The performances of adult and junior teams at major competitions were a real breakthrough:
At the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, the men's team of Turkmenistan won gold in category «B», and the women's team in category «C».
At the 46th Olympic Games in Samarkand (2026), the women's team rose to the second step of the podium in category «B».
Young chess players brought the country 41 medals from international competitions in 2025 and at least 58 awards in 2026.
Turkmenistan has also cemented its status as a hospitable host of major international tournaments.
The Ashgabat 2025 youth competition was successfully held in the Turkmen capital, where the hosts won 7 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze medals, as well as the «Kids Expo Chess Cup 2026», sponsored by the International school chess federation (ISCF) and the Turkic chess association (TCA), which brought together 94 participants from eight countries.
At the meeting, the re-elected head of the CFT presented a strategic vision for the development of chess in Turkmenistan until 2030. The updated program will focus on the creation of a digital platform (developed jointly with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation), strengthening the coaching corps, promoting chess in schools, holding large-scale competitions, supporting the national team, ensuring financial sustainability, and developing brand of the Federation.
As the meeting participants noted, medals won by youth teams at World and Asian Championships, as well as successes by adult chess players at World Olympiads, are becoming a regular occurrence. With Central Asia emerging as one of the most dynamic chess regions in the world – Uzbekistan hosted and won the World Chess Olympiad in September, and women's team of Kazakhstan is setting global standards – Turkmenistan is committed to further progress.
According to the head of the, strong neighbours are not a reason to look back, but an excellent incentive for rapid growth.
«The goal of the CFT for the next four years is not just to maintain overall momentum of the region, but to become one of its leaders and compete on an equal footing on the global stage», – emphasised Vepa Malikgulyyev.
