The qualifying tournament held at the Specialized Chess and Checkers School in Ashgabat has concluded, determining the composition of the national team for participation in the historic first Chess Olympiad among Turkic countries (U16 category).
A total of 49 young talents from all velayats of the country took part in the qualification event. The tournament was held under the Swiss system over 9 rounds, with a time control of 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.
A notable feature of this selection was the strong performance of younger players (under 12 and under 14), who competed on equal footing with older participants. This highlights the effectiveness of the long-term strategy for developing youth sports, implemented by the renewed Chess Federation of Turkmenistan since 2022.
Following intense competition, the right to represent Turkmenistan on the international stage was earned by:
Ali Akhmedov (Ashgabat, born 2012, 7th-grade student of School No. 49) – 7 points;
Akhmet Artykov (Mary velayat, born 2011, 9th-grade student of the specialized velayat school in Mary with advanced English and humanities studies) – 7 points;
Gurbanmyrat Rustemov (Lebap velayat, born 2010, 10th-grade student of School No. 41) – 6.5 points;
Dilber Khupbyeva (Dashoguz velayat, born 2014, 6th-grade student of School No. 7) – 6.5 points (demonstrated excellent play in the open category among boys);
Zalina Iminova (Ashgabat, born 2014, 10th-grade student of School No. 16) – 6.5 points (achieved the best result in the women’s category).
The Chess Olympiad among Turkic countries will be held from May 13 to 18 in the city of Turkestan (Republic of Kazakhstan). The strongest youth teams from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will take part in the competition. At the same time, tournaments among adult national teams will be held in Almaty, serving as an important stage of preparation for Turkmenistan’s team ahead of the 46th World Chess Olympiad scheduled for September this year in Samarkand.
Currently, work is underway to establish the Turkic Chess Association (TCA), with Turkmenistan among its founding members. A memorandum on the creation of this structure was signed on October 20, 2025, in Astana. A meeting of the TCA Presidium took place on December 13, 2025, in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, alongside the first-ever chess championship of Turkic-speaking countries among players under 16, where Turkmen player Gurbanmyrat Rustemov increased his rating by 73.6 points.
For Turkmenistan, membership in the TCA opens up opportunities to participate in regular joint tournaments, expanding the competitive calendar and providing players with more high-level practice. It is also expected to contribute to improving players’ qualifications and increasing their FIDE ratings. The Chess Federation of Turkmenistan hopes that participation in the upcoming Olympiad will become another step toward strengthening the country’s sporting reputation on the international stage and will promote the professional growth of young chess players.
