Turkmenistan's Chess Federation Cup with the participation of the world's chess star -international grandmaster Nigel Short from England, has conluded.

The tournament lasted an entire week, during which there were many interesting games, exciting intrigue, and unexpected surprises. Overall, this week turned into a true celebration of chess art.

On the final day of the tournament, 10 October, Nigel Short, who has a FIDE blitz rating of 2571, participated in the blitz tournament and took first place, scoring 7.5 points out of a possible 9.

Nigel Short, who is Director of Chess Development at the International Chess Federation (FIDE), is in Ashgabat at the invitation of the British Embassy and the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports to participate in a conference dedicated to the development of sport in Turkmenistan.

In the blitz tournament of the Turkmenistan Chess Federation Cup, Ashgabat international grandmaster Maksat Atabayev (FIDE blitz rating - 2377) and candidate master of sports Amanmuhammet Hommadov (2316) also scored 7.5 points, who respectively took 2nd and 3rd places according to additional indicators. Atabayev drew his game with the 1993 world crown contender, while Hommadov managed to win against the famous grandmaster, but lost points in games against other opponents.

Among girls, the Shohradova sisters Lala and Leila (Lebap) showed their superiority over the others in lightning chess, and Ogulsuray Bayrambayeva (Ashgabat) finishing in third place.

In category B, the winners also had to be determined by additional indicators. Four players scored 8 points out of 9 possible, but the gold medal went to Sohbet Annamuradov, a schoolboy from Mary region, silver to Didar Baltayev (Lebap), and bronze to Alihan Gubatayev (Ashgabat).

And among girls the competition was no less strong, where 4 players with 7 points claimed the best result. However, Nurana Jumaniyazova was ahead of her rivals on additional indicators, Nurhan Babanazarova was second and Nebahat Muradova (all Lebap) finished third.

In the rapid tournament, despite losing in the first round, Amanmuhammet Hommadov won all of his remaining 10 games and secured first place. Ahmed Gubatayev (Ashgabat) finished 1.5 points behind the leader. Both Nedir Sylyev, a multiple former champion in age categories and a student at the State Energy Institute, and Lala Shohradova, a multiple champion of Turkmenistan in age categories and Women FIDE Master, scored 8 points.

The bronze medal ultimately went to Nedir by an additional coefficient, and Lala won the prize for the best result among girls. The second-best result was achieved by the reigning champion of Turkmenistan, candidate for master FIDE Meryem Agajanova, and the third was schoolgirl Enesh Arazmedova from Ashahabat.

In Category B of the rapid tournament, schoolchildren from the Mary region left no chances for their opponents. Serdar Kabehanov won the tournament with 10 points out of a possible 11, while Sohbet Annamyradov finished half a point behind the winner and Emir Amanmuhammedov secured third place.

The reigning national champion among girls under 12, Nebahat Muradova, pleasantly surprised everyone by scoring 9 points and achieving the best result, outpacing her strong competitors despite her young age. The second-best result was achieved by Jennet Yalkanova (Mary) with 8.5 points, while Oguljeren Saparova (Ahal) finished in third place with 8 points.

The previous day, Amanmuhammet Hommadov (category A) and Yunus Jorayev (category B) won the classical tournaments.

British Ambassador to Turkmenistan Stephen Conlon was present at the closing ceremony of the competition, and on the large chess board, which occupies a large part of the foyer at the capital's chess school, facing off against his renowned compatriot.

The diplomat also participated in the award ceremony for the winners. The tournament champions received trophies, medals, certificates, cash prizes from the Chess Federation, as well as gifts and gift certificates from sponsors, including Regus, Intertek, Erem, and ImdatBot.

The esteemed foreign guests also received gifts, as the organizers dressed them in the national Turkmen costume - don and telpek.

Over 300 participants took part in the Turkmenistan Chess Federation Cup, and detailed information about the tournament is available at the following link.

After the Closing Ceremony, Nigel Short conducted a simultaneous play session with ten young chess players from Category B. The session lasted about 2 hours and concluded with Nigel Short winning all games.

In some of the games, the famous grandmaster had to think seriously to avoid the "traps" set by the young Turkmen chess players, who gained invaluable experience playing with the "big master" and had a wealth of bright emotions.

“To have the opportunity to play at the same board or even in the same tournament with such a legendary grandmaster as Nigel Short is a huge event for any young chess player, which greatly increases motivation for further growth. We are very grateful to Mr. Short for agreeing to participate in our tournament despite his busy schedule during his visit to Ashgabat. The visit itself aims to promote the further development of chess in the country. Although Mr. Short still has days left in the country, I believe that this goal has already been fully achieved through his participation at the exhibition, in the blitz tournament, at the closing ceremony and in the simultaneous game session with the young chess players,” said Vepa Malikgulyyev, Chairman of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, in an interview with ORIENT.

On October 11, at the request of coaches and leading chess players in the country, Grandmaster Short will hold a separate meeting with them to discuss issues related to the development of chess mastery, coaching activities, and the creation of conditions for the rapid and sustainable development of chess in the country.

International Grandmaster Nigel Short from England, together with British Ambassador Stephen Conlon visited the local museum and classrooms at the capital's chess school, where young Turkmen enthusiasts of intellectual games were engaged in their studies

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