From April 2nd to 10th, Almaty will host the Asian Zone 3.4 Championship, which serves as a qualifying tournament for the Chess World Cup 2025. Participants from six nations will compete in the event: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the host country, Kazakhstan.

A total of 134 participants are registered for the tournament, comprising 88 men and 46 women. The chess players will vie for three qualification spots for the Women's World Cup, scheduled to take place from July 5th to 29th in Batumi, Georgia, and for four qualification spots for the Men's World Cup, which will be held from November 1st to 26th in New Delhi, India.

The Turkmen national team, led by Mergen Kakabayev and Serdar Annaberdiyev, is represented by 11 players at the tournament – 5 in the open category and 5 among women. The delegation includes the country's strongest chess players, notably International Master Saparmyrat Atabayev (rated 2530 as of April 1st), who is awaiting confirmation of his Grandmaster title at the upcoming FIDE Presidential Board meeting, as well as Grandmaster Meylis Annaberdiyev (rated 2449) and FIDE Master among women Lala Shohradowa (2144).

In addition to them, Vepaly Halynyazov (2224, Master of Sports), Amanmuhammet Hommadov (2262, Master of Sports), and Shahruh Turayev (2164, Candidate Master of Sports) will play for Turkmenistan in the open category. Among the women are Candidate Master Leyla Shohradowa (2023, WCM), Bagul Ezizova (1941, WCM), Ogulsuray Bayrambayeva (1889, Candidate Master of Sports), and Jahan Rejepova (2017, 1st category).

The tournament's prize fund amounts to $20,000, which will be divided equally between the men's and women's sections. The winners will each receive $3,000, second place finishers $2,500, third place $1,500, fourth place $1,200, fifth place $1,000, and sixth place $800.

This championship is also noteworthy as it marks the first time a representative from Turkmenistan – the Chairman of the Chess Federation of the country, Vepa Malikgulyyev – has been included in the Appeals Committee of a prestigious official tournament. He joins two other colleagues: the General Secretary of the Asian Chess Federation, Hisham Al Taher (UAE), and international arbiter from Kazakhstan, Alexander Babenko. Such a role is typically entrusted to individuals with impeccable reputations, capable of objectively and impartially adjudicating the most complex contentious situations that may potentially arise during high-level competitions.

ORIENT