The men's and women's national chess teams of Turkmenistan successfully concluded their opening matches at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, currently taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Both teams triumphed over their opponents with a score of 4:0.

The competition, which began on September 16 at the "Silk Road Samarkand" International Congress Center, will run until September 27. Held under the auspices of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Olympiad brings together the strongest chess players from around the world.

In the first round, Turkmenistan's men's team faced the team of Timor-Leste. Playing under seed number 65, our national team won on all four boards, conceding not a single point to their opponent.

In the opening round, Grandmaster Saparmyrat Atayev, FIDE Master Amanmuhammet Hommadow, Shahruh Turayev, and Wepaly Halynyýazow won their respective games. Grandmaster Meýlis Annaberdiýew participated in the match as a reserve player. The team is led by the Honored Coach of Turkmenistan, Serdar Annaberdiýew.

The women's team also kicked off the tournament with a successful 4:0 victory, defeating the team of Liechtenstein.

Securing the team's first four points were Leýla Şohroadowa, FIDE Master Jahan Rejepowa, Mähri Agamyradowa, and Ogulsuraý Baýrambaýewa, who all won their games. The women's team is led by Merjen Kakabaýew. The team's leading chess player, Lala Şohroadowa, rested during the first round.

Turkmenistan's national teams' preparation for the Samarkand tournament was carried out purposefully in advance. The final training camps of the national chess players were held under the guidance of International Grandmaster Alexander Rakhmanov. This preparation work was conducted within the framework of the "Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives" program in cooperation with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.

At this Olympiad, Turkmen chess players aim to build upon their previous successes. At the previous Olympiad in Budapest, both the men's and women's teams of Turkmenistan took first place in their rating categories. In Samarkand, the national teams also face the tasks of improving their individual ratings and fulfilling international master title norms.

In the second round of the Olympiad, tougher opponents await the Turkmen teams. The men's team will play against the national team of Serbia, while the women's team will face Poland.

The first-round results of the Turkmen chess players demonstrated that the national teams arrived at the competition well-prepared. Ahead lie several crucial matches against some of the strongest teams in world chess.