The international chess tournament for children and youth held in Ashgabat has concluded. Based on the results of the "Kids Expo Chess Cup 2026" competition, the Turkmenistan national team took first place in the medal standings. Local chess players won a total of 24 medals during the two-day tournament, including 7 gold, 9 silver, and 8 bronze medals.

The tournament took place at the exhibition center of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan as part of the international exhibition and fair "Kids Expo: Everything for Children." The competition was jointly organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan, the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, the International School Chess Federation, the Turkish Chess Association, the Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives program, and the TurkmenExpo company.

Held as part of the FIDE initiative "The Year of Chess in Education — 2026," the tournament brought together a total of 94 young chess players from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. They competed in age groups under 8, 10, and 12 for 12 sets of medals.

On the first day of the competition, 7 rounds of rapid chess were held, and on the second day, 9 rounds of blitz chess. The matches were organized based on the official regulations of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), taking into account the international ratings of the participants.

Main results and winners of the tournament Based on the overall results of the competition, the national team of Turkmenistan became the leader of the tournament with 7 gold, 9 silver, and 8 bronze – a total of 24 medals. The list of medal-winning countries is as follows:

2nd place: Iran (4 gold medals) 3rd place: Kazakhstan (1 gold and 3 bronze medals) 4th place: Uzbekistan (2 silver and 1 bronze medals) 5th place: Azerbaijan (1 silver medal)

It is noted that there were chess players who stood out with exceptional results during the tournament. Iran's representative Kiyasha Mahboubi won all matches in both rapid and blitz among boys under 10, scoring 16 points out of 16. He did not draw a single game during the two days.

In the under-12 age group, Iranian chess player Sadra Roshantab and Turkmenistan's representative, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Dilber Hupbuyeva, achieved a "golden double." They took first place in both the rapid and blitz formats.

Representatives of Turkmenistan showed high results especially in the younger age groups. In the rapid event among girls under 8, Lachyn Isayeva took first, Bahar Jumayeva second, and Chynar Pirkuliyeva third. Among girls under 10, Bagul Jumayeva won the gold medal. Among girls under 12, WCM Dilber Hupbuyeva became the winner.

In blitz among boys under 8, Bekmurat Agamammedov took first place, and Hangeldi Myradov second. Among girls under 8, Nazly Kakageldiyewa became the winner. Among girls under 10, Selbi Arslanova took first place, and among girls under 12, Dilber Hupbuyeva won first place.

In some age groups, tie-break criteria determined the winners among athletes who scored the same number of points. Specifically, in the under-8 boys' rapid tournament, Zakariya Amirov, Kerim Babayev, and Hangeldi Myradov each scored 6 points. A similar situation occurred among girls under 8, where Lachyn Isayeva and Bahar Jumayeva showed an identical result of 5.5 points.

With the conclusion of the official competition program of "Kids Expo Chess Cup 2026," chess events in Ashgabat do not stop. During the last two days of the exhibition, a large-scale chess festival called ChessFest is being held. Residents and guests of the city can participate, join mass chess games, attend master classes by experts, and play chess in a free format.

The holding of such international children's chess tournaments in Ashgabat creates new opportunities for enhancing the experience of Turkmenistan's young chess players, showcasing themselves in international competitions, and developing the sport of chess among youth.