From February 25 to March 8, the World Chess Championship among players under 20 was held in Petrovac (Montenegro). Six chess players from Turkmenistan participated in the tournament - three boys and three girls, who demonstrated a worthy fight in the international arena.

The tournament brought together 255 of the world's strongest chess players from more than 60 countries. The games were held in 11 rounds according to the Swiss system in two categories: open (OPEN) and among girls. In the open category, 157 chess players competed, while among girls, 98 participants entered the fight.

Tournament results for the Turkmenistan team

In the men's category, the Turkmenistan team was represented by Amanmuhammet Khommadov (5.5 points), Vepaly Khalyniyazov (5 points) and Serdar Bayramov (4 points). The winner of the tournament in this category was Indian grandmaster Venkatesh Pranav (FIDE rating - 2615), who scored 9 points and won the world champion title.

In the women's category, Turkmenistan was represented by sisters Lala and Leyla Shokhradova, as well as Gulmira Seyilkhanova. Lala scored 5 points, Leyla and Gulmira - 4.5 points each. In this group, the world champion title was won by 16-year-old Russian Anna Shukhman, who scored 9 points (FIDE rating - 2365).

Given the strong lineup of participants, five out of six Turkmen chess players increased their FIDE ratings. Khalyniyazov scored the most rating points, adding 65 more to his 2157 points. Also, worth mentioning are Bayramov (2007, +56) and Seyilkhanova (1939, +51). Overall, our chess players performed at about the level of their seeding at the start of the tournament.

Experience, analysis and preparation for new battles

The tournament became a valuable experience for young chess players of Turkmenistan. For the coaching staff, the games played and the results will be the subject of further analysis and improvement of the preparation process, the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan noted.

New international tournaments are ahead for Turkmen chess players. In April, they plan to participate in the Central Asian Zonal Championship (Kazakhstan), the World Rapid and Blitz Championship among boys and girls (Greece), the Moscow State University Cup and other prestigious competitions. Time for preparation remains limited, and the coaching staff plans to carry out thorough work to achieve high results in these tournaments, the SCF added.

ORIENT