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No one expected that chess battles in the highest league of the championship of Turkmenistan among women would bring so many surprises. However, intellectual games are interesting in this, what a person suggests, and a chess god disposes.

Thus, the plans of a coach or the carefully weighed predictions of an expert can destroy circumstances independent of the will of the athlete. In the intrigues and unpredictability of sports fortune lies all the attractiveness and ongoing interest in all kinds of sports games.

Thus, the highest step on the chess podium in the minds of the vast majority of observers was intended for the current champion of Turkmenistan-FIDE master Dzhemal Ovezdurdyeva. There were even those who did not rule out that she was able not only to repeat her success, but also to achieve an absolute result - thirteen points out of thirteen possible!

This forecast was justified by Dzhemal's stable performance throughout all recent tournaments and her FIDE rating of 2127. This rating, formed by the International Chess Federation, was the highest among all participants in the current national championship.

The main part of the tournament seemed to confirm this prediction - despite a small misfire in the first round, when Dzhemal Ovezdurdiyeva drew, she continued to hold the palm until the tenth round, confidently beating her rivals.

The tenth game turned out to be critical for her, where she fought with FIDE master Annagozel Mekanova, who at one time became the world champion among schoolgirls. However, in this tournament, despite the relatively weak game (Annagozel could only break into the top ten chess players), she managed to give a decisive battle to Dzhemal Orazdurdyeva, completely defeating the favorite. A fatal role in this was played by the fact that the clear leader underestimated her rival, who was stuck somewhere in the middle of the standings.

The mistake of the hitherto invincible chess player, who was one and a half points ahead of her closest rival, visibly inspired her rival for the champion title, a schoolgirl from the western region of the country, Lala Shokhradova. It was the eleventh round that brought them together at the chessboard.

Lala, who played with black pieces, was at that time already half a point behind the leader. She seized the initiative in the opening denouement and methodically, move by move, went to victory in this game, and, as it turned out, in the national championship as a whole. All this is confirmed by the analysis of a short but very instructive game presented by FIDE master Mergen Kakabaev in a video review.

After the second defeat in a row, Dzhemal Orazdurdyeva could not escape from the crisis, and the creative stupor did not allow her to adequately finish the remaining two games in order to enter at least the top three winners.

The champion title deservedly went to Lala Shokhradova, who overcame two rivals without much difficulty in the last games. Everyone noted that she, still quite young, but rapidly progressing chess player, throughout the championship confidently demonstrated a fairly mature game.

Despite all the achievements, naturally modest Lala says in a quiet, barely audible voice that she began to get involved in chess from early childhood. And today, at the age of 17, she can no longer answer my question with certain accuracy, how many times and in which tournaments she took first place.

She, like a star in the chess sky, shone more brightly starting somewhere in 2018, when she joined the Olympic team of Turkmenistan. She was then only 12 years old, but already at this age, Lala participated in the World Chess Olympiad, held in Georgian Batumi, as part of the women's team. And next year, in 2019, she performed in Tashkent at the Asian Championship among schoolgirls, where she became the gold medalist in the corresponding age category.

After that, global pandemic unrest put a damper on the holding of international competitions. But at the end of last year at the Asian Championship, which was held in India, Lala Shokhradova, speaking among adults, performed a miracle, raising her rating by - attention! - 110 points.

Now the high title gives Lala the opportunity to take part in the country's top league championship among men, scheduled for February 27, in which 14 of the country's strongest chess players will compete.

This year, Tajikistan is planning to host the Central Asian Championship, following which the strongest chess players will receive the right to participate in the World Cup. And Lala Shohradova, as the leading chess player of Turkmenistan, will be able to represent our country in the Central Asian tournament.

... Unexpectedly for many, another schoolgirl, Meryem Agadzhanova, showed a high result at the end of the 2023 national championship.

Many call Meryem, who took second place, the opening of this season. Despite the fact that she is still a first-class player, she is predicted to have a good sports career. However, not all of the sports analysts expected that she would become the silver medalist of the major league chess championship today.

However, to say that "there are few who believed in the success of Meryem" is to sin against the truth. There were those who did not doubt its capabilities. And the first among them are the parents of the young chess player. Agadzhan Babakuliev and Dzhakhan Dzhumaeva unconditionally believed in the successful performance of their daughter, given her perseverance, desire for improvement and thoughtful attitude to everything she does.

And she achieved this to a large extent thanks to chess lessons. At least that's what her parents say.

Let's add to these judgments the fact that Meryem Agadzhanova recently became the champion of Turkmenistan among girls under 20, the champion of the country of the first league and, after a short time, the silver medalist of the major league of the women's championship, lagging behind the winner by only half a point. And she collected all this harvest of awards in one gaming year, which is still ongoing.

... A student of the capital's university, a candidate for master of sports Ogulsurai Bayrambayeva ascended the third step of the podium.

One of the leaders of the chess federation called Ogulsurai the most interesting player of the completed championship. During the difficult, emotionally tense tournament (and it lasted for two weeks), she had breakdowns, but Ogulsurai found the strength to pull herself together in time, mentally gather herself and continue the fight for the chess crown. Thanks to this, she beat the main favorite of the current championship in the final games. And her third place is more a pattern than an accident.

... The fourth place in the standings was taken by ex-champion Dzhemal Ovezdurdiyeva, and the fifth place was taken by Leyla Shokhradova, the younger sister of the newly-minted champion Lala Shokhradova. Both chess players received the right to enter the women's team of Turkmenistan.

And, as ORIENT has already reported, on February 13-17 Ashgabat will host the national chess championship among cadets, in which young representatives of all regions of the country will take part. During these competitions, the practice of taking into account the international FIDE rating will be applied, by the way, for the first time for children's tournaments in our country.

And our review of the intermediate results and prospects of the chess marathon-2023 is completed by a video interview with chairman of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, Vepa Myalikgulyev.

Bekdurdy AMANSARIEV
Video - Suleiman CHARYEV

Photo: orient.tm