The velayat qualifying tournament for the first league of the 2025 championship of Turkmenistan, which started at the 4th sports school of Dashoguz, gathered 69 participants. 51 chess players are fighting for promotion in the men's section, and 18 participants in the women's section.
It is noteworthy that last year only 4 players with a FIDE rating in classical chess participated in the same tournament in the northern region of the country, while the number of local holders of the prestigious international rating increased to 20 this year.
The Dashoguz tournament became the first qualifying stage for participation in the first league of the 2025 championship of Turkmenistan. The next stage will be in Ashgabat, which will take place from October 28 to November 1 and will include selections for the Balkan and Akhal velayats. Then, from November 4 to 8, the selection will take place in the Lebap Velayat, which will be held at the sports school No. 13 of Turkmenabat. The final Mary qualifying tournament will be held from November 11 to 15 at the 1st city sports school.
It is noteworthy that everyone from other regions of the country can also take part in all stages of the selection, but without the right to qualify for the next stage from another velayat. According to the assessment of the Secretary General of the Chess Federation Mergen Kakabaev of Turkmenistan (SHFT), "this condition allows young chess players to gain intensive tournament practice during these two months without having to travel abroad."
"Holding the qualifying stages and, in general, more tournaments in each of the velayats is a purposeful policy of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, since not every chess player has the opportunity to come to the capital. Thus, talented chess youth in remote areas have a chance and, accordingly, motivation to demonstrate their skills and go through all the qualifying stages for a possible entry into the national team," said SHFT Chairman Vepa Myalikgulyev.
The participants of the first league selected through the velayats, which is scheduled to be held at the beginning of 2025, will be joined by holders of the title "candidate for master of sports" and higher for men and those with the 1st rank and higher for women. In one tournament according to the Swiss system, they will contest three tickets to the top league of the championship Turkmenistan in 2025.
The winners of the first four places in the 2024 League of the Strongest, as well as one winner each of the recent Chess Federation Cup (among men and women) have already received the right to participate in the next Major League, which will be played in a two-round system among 8 finalists. The five best chess players and female chess players of the top league will form the men's and women's national teams for 2025.
The national teams formed on the same principle in March of this year have been intensively preparing since then and in September successfully performed at the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest (Hungary), winning small gold medals in the men's category "B" and in the women's category "C".
