Leaders of the First Round of the High League Chess Championship Determined

The Turkmenistan Chess Championship is ongoing in Ashgabat. The competition is held in two rounds. In the open category, the country’s strongest chess players are competing, including seven men and one woman. In the women’s competition, eight players selected from national tournaments are taking part.

Following the completion of the first round, the leaders in both categories have been determined.

Women’s competition:

Lala Shohradova (rating 2109) — scored 6.5 points out of 7. As expected, Lala maintains her position as the leading representative of the country’s women’s chess school;

Gulmira Seyilkhanova (rating 1810) — 4.5 points out of 7. Gulmira started the tournament very confidently, but the last two games of the first round were unsuccessful for her. Nevertheless, she holds second place;

Jahan Rejepova (rating 2051) — 4 points out of 7. The current national champion has not yet demonstrated her strongest qualities. However, chess experts believe that in the second round she will show a champion’s spirit and defend her place in the fight for the national team.

Open competition:

Amanmuhammet Hommadov (rating 2269) — scored a perfect 7 out of 7. Amanmuhammet displayed a very high level of play and took the lead with a significant advantage;

Vepaly Halynyazov (rating 2194) — 4.5 points out of 7. The reigning national champion trails the leader, but his victories last year are well remembered, and a fierce contest is expected in the final stage;

Ahmet Gubatayev (rating 2176) — 4 points out of 7. Ahmet lost to Hommadov and Halynyazov in rounds five and six, but defeated Turayev in the final round, strengthening his position.

The High League will continue until February 11. The decisive games of the second round lie ahead, which will determine the national champions and the members of Turkmenistan’s national teams.

It should be recalled that the top three finishers of the open category will join the national team. According to the selection rules approved by the Turkmenistan Chess Federation, Saparmurat Atabayev (rating 2487) and Meylis Annaberdiev (rating 2424) were included in the men’s national team directly based on their high international ratings.

The leader of the national women’s rating, Leila Shohradova (rating 2182), was also directly selected for the women’s national team based on her rating. The remaining four members of the Olympic team will be determined according to the championship results.