A Turkmen Chess Player Achieved the Best Result Among Women at an International Tournament in Aktobe
ORIENT | Sports. The Turkmenistan national chess team, as part of an intensive training camp in Kazakhstan, participated in the prestigious international tournament "Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial – Aktobe Open 2026," which was held in Aktobe. The competition brought together 210 of the world's most skilled players from 21 countries, including 23 international grandmasters.
The battles were held according to the classic Swiss system over nine rounds and were divided into two key categories: Masters and Open. The talented Turkmen player Myahri Agamuradova achieved a real triumph on the Kazakh courts. Competing in the Open tournament with a starting FIDE rating of 2049, she demonstrated a brilliant performance and scored 6 points out of a possible 9. This high result allowed the sixteen-year-old chess player to finish 15th overall, making her the absolute best among all women participating in the tournament.
This remarkable success boosted Myahri's international rating by 83.2 points, allowing her to achieve the required level to officially earn the prestigious FIDE Women's Master (WFM) title. It's worth noting that the young champion is a 10th-grader at the Specialized School of Foreign Languages in Turkmenabat and trains under the experienced tutor Guldzhakhan Ovlyakulieva. Her natural energy, determination, and positive attitude are always reflected in her bold playing style.
Other members of our women's national team also demonstrated excellent form and positive growth in their international ratings following the tournament in Aktobe. Thus, Jahan Rejepova, with a starting rating of 2057 points, was able to add an impressive 26.8 points to her tally, Ogulsurai Bayrambaeva increased her score by 8.2 points, and Leyla Shokhradova successfully added 5.2 rating points to her personal coefficient.
Meanwhile, in the prestigious Masters category, which is open only to players with a FIDE rating above 2400, Turkmenistan was ably represented by Amanmukhammet Khommadov, one of the country's most promising grandmasters. His direct opponents at the board included the world's leading masters, including six grandmasters and one International Master. Amidst fierce competition, Amanmukhammet managed to increase his personal rating by 10.6 points, bringing him very close to achieving the coveted International Master standard.
As for the tournament's main awards, American Grandmaster Andrew Hong won the Masters category, while Kazakhstani FIDE Master Alan Petukhov took first place in the Open group. The competitions held in Kazakhstan became a crucial stage in the Turkmen chess players' preparation for the main events of the season.
The Turkmenistan national team has a busy schedule ahead of it, as this September the team will defend its country's honor at one of the most important and prestigious events on the world chess calendar—the 46th World Chess Olympiad, which will be held in Samarkand this year.
