The results of the international rapid and blitz chess tournament for cadets, Kids Expo Chess Cup 2026, have been announced in the capital of Turkmenistan. After two days of intense competition, the hosts confidently topped the medal standings, winning a total of 24 medals of various kinds.

The competition was held at the Exhibition Centre of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan as part of the International Exhibition and Fair “Kids Expo: Everything for Children.” The tournament was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan, the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, the International School Chess Federation (ISCF), the Turkic Chess Association (TCA), the Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI) programme, and TurkmenExpo, as part of FIDE’s declared Year of Chess in Education 2026.

Over two days, 94 young chess players from eight countries — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan — competed for 12 sets of awards, comprising 36 medals. Boys and girls competed in three age categories: U8, U10, and U12.

On the first day, participants played seven rounds of rapid chess, while on the second day they played nine rounds of blitz. The tournament was conducted according to the official rules of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), with the results counting toward international ratings.

It is worth noting that international junior chess tournaments are becoming a tradition in Ashgabat: in June 2025, the capital already hosted young chess players from 13 countries around the world.

The undisputed leader of the competition was the Turkmenistan national team, which collected 7 gold, 9 silver, and 8 bronze medals, for a total of 24.

The medals were shared among representatives of five countries:

2nd place — Iran: 4 gold medals;

3rd place — Kazakhstan: 1 gold and 3 bronze medals;

4th place — Uzbekistan: 2 silver and 1 bronze medal;

5th place — Azerbaijan: 1 silver medal.

Commenting on the results of the tournament, Chairman of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan Vepa Myalikgulyyev said:

“This week, Ashgabat has become the world capital of school and junior chess. The Kids Expo Chess Cup 2026 has gone down in history as the first tournament in these age categories held under the auspices of the Turkic Chess Association. I congratulate the winners and medalists and thank the young athletes, coaches, parents, and our international partners for creating a true celebration of chess.”

Looking at the tournament results, it is worth highlighting the phenomenal performance of Kiasha Mahboobi of Iran in the U10 category. He won all 16 of his games — seven in rapid and nine in blitz — without a single draw over the two days of competition.

Two other players — Sadra Roshantab of Iran and WCM Dilber Hupbyyeva of Turkmenistan — achieved the so-called “golden double” in the U12 categories, each scoring 15.5 points out of a possible 16. Each conceded only one draw in rapid while achieving a perfect score in blitz.

Incidentally, both Iranian winners are the reigning Asian champions in their respective age groups. The high level of competition was also demonstrated by the fact that the silver medal in the U12 girls’ rapid competition went to European champion WCM Mehriban Ahmadli of Azerbaijan, who scored 5 points out of a possible 7.

The most uncompromising and closely fought battles took place in the youngest age categories.

In the U8 boys’ rapid competition, three medalists — Zakariya Amirov of Kazakhstan and Kerim Babayev and Hangeldi Muradov, both of Turkmenistan — finished with an equal score of 6 points. The gold medalist was determined only by the Buchholz tiebreak.

A similar situation occurred in the U8 girls’ competition, where the battle for first place between Turkmen chess players Lachyn Isayeva and Bahar Jumayeva, who both scored 5.5 points, was also decided by tiebreak criteria.

In total, 13 participants won two medals — one each in rapid and blitz. They are marked with an asterisk (*) in the final standings, while those who achieved golden doubles are marked with two asterisks (**).

Rapid — 7 Rounds

Blitz — 9 Rounds

The conclusion of the official tournament programme does not mean the end of chess activities at Kids Expo. During the final two days of the exhibition, a large-scale ChessFest is being held at the venue. All residents and visitors to Ashgabat are welcome to take part in simultaneous exhibition games, attend master classes led by leading specialists, and play chess in a free-format setting.