Lebap schoolchildren showed complete dominance in the Turkmenistan Youth Classic Chess Championship. Of the 12 sets of medals played out in 6 age categories among boys and girls, Lebap schoolchildren were able to win 8 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze medals (a total of 21 medals).
The "classic" competitions were held from December 16 to 20 in 9 rounds according to the Swiss system in the capital's Specialized Chess and Checkers School in the categories up to 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 years old.
Schoolchildren from Ashgabat came in second in the final standings with 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals, and schoolchildren from Mary velayat came in third with 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals.
For the first time, the championship was attended by students of the private Ashgabat chess academy “Küşt Älemi”, which applied separately in the team competition and was able to win 3 silver medals. Athletes from the city of Arkadag also took part for the first time. Particularly noteworthy is the gold and bronze medals won by the team of the Dashoguz velayat, whose players have noticeably improved over the past two years.
Among the mentors, the coaches of the sports school No. 13 of Turkmenabat, Guljahan Ovlyakuliyeva and Zumrat Achilova, distinguished themselves, their wards were able to win 4 gold medals each.
Having returned from the Asian championship among schoolchildren recently held in Thailand, the 2024 national champions sat down at the chessboard again to prove their status and win the right to represent the country in international tournaments in 2025.
Champions in each category have received the right to represent our country at the World and Asian Championships among schoolchildren.
During the remaining two game days, for the first time in the history of the country, tournaments in rapid chess (rapid and blitz) will be held in these (odd) age categories.
In total, 108 medals (36 sets) will be awarded based on the results of the championship during this week. In addition to cups, medals and diplomas, prize winners will also receive valuable gifts kindly provided by the sponsors of the children's tournament: Ynamdar marketplace, Resmi Kepil insurance company, Innovapak plastics manufacturer, Küşt Älemi chess academy, ImdatBot robotics center, ALSAT marketplace and Orient media platform.
Such a large number of prize places also increases the number of young champions and medalists throughout the country, which certainly motivates both the winners themselves and their peers to develop and achieve new victories, including at the international level.
ORIENT
