The Turkmenistan national chess team performed successfully at major international competitions held in Astana. From May 14 to 17, the capital of Kazakhstan hosted two prestigious events simultaneously: the first team championship of Turkic countries and the Youth Chess Olympiad for players under 16. Turkmen athletes are returning home with four prestigious individual medals.

Seven of the region’s strongest national teams competed in round-robin intellectual battles, including grandmasters from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Türkiye, and Kyrgyzstan. The men’s tournament featured an especially strong lineup, bringing together 13 grandmasters and 18 international masters.

The leaders of the Turkmen men’s team were renowned grandmasters Saparmyrat Atabayev and Meilis Annaberdiyev. The intense competition for the $54,000 prize fund continued until the very final round.

In the overall team standings, the Turkmen women’s team finished in an honorable fifth place. At the same time, Turkmen grandmasters and young talents achieved excellent results in the individual board rankings:

• Saparmyrat Atabayev won a bronze medal by finishing third on the highly competitive first board in the men’s tournament.

• Lala Shohradova also earned bronze, taking third place on the first board in the women’s event.

• Jahan Rejepova demonstrated outstanding play and captured a silver medal on the third board.

• Dilber Hupbyyeva added another bronze medal to the team by finishing among the top three on the fourth board during the Youth Olympiad.

The success of Turkmen grandmasters in Astana once again confirmed the high level of the national chess school and the excellent prospects of young players on the international stage.

ORIENT