The first winners and prize-winners of the 26th Asian Youth Chess Championship, held in Almaty, have been determined. Young chess players from Kazakhstan (4), Russia under the FIDE flag (3), India (3), Vietnam (1), and Iran (1) won gold medals in rapid.
Over the course of two days, more than 630 participants aged 7 to 18 competed in the rapid “15+10” format at the Baluan Sholak Arena. They often surprised not only the spectators in the stands and those watching the broadcast but also seasoned commentators like grandmaster Murtas Kazhgaleev and arbiter and coach Olzhas Mengali with their extraordinary solutions.
Among the notable participants were 15-year-old Russian Anna Shukhman, a two-time world chess solving champion, and Aldiyar Ansat, the 2023 champion of Kazakhstan among adults. Both took first place in the under-18 age category.
However, the nature of fast chess, which includes rapid and blitz, means that titled players and rating favorites do not always manage to confirm their class, especially over a short distance like the 7-round Swiss format.
For instance, Zarina Nurgaliyeva (rating 2103), competing in the U16 category, lost 1½ points on the first day and could not even reach 3rd place. It was unrealistic to rise higher because Iranian Mahsa Alavi (rating 1962) won all 7 games, and Mongolian Khuslen Erdenebayar (rating 1884) won 6, losing only to the champion.
The level of competition was so high that rating leaders in the U12 category, such as Syrian Mazen Fendi (rating 2138) and Russian Anastasia Barabash (rating 1938), were outside the top 10. The winners, Kazakh Suleiman Akhmet (rating 2027) and India's Pratiti Bordoloi (rating 1587), had to score almost the maximum number of points (6½) to win!
The high competition level also explains why only Kazakhstan's Adinur Adilbek and Rizat Ulan in the U8 category and Vietnam's Dinh Nho Kiet and Tran Ngoc Minh Duy (U16) achieved winning doubles - 1st and 2nd place.
Interestingly, Adinur Adilbek, a student of the capital's Chess Academy of Dinara Saduakasova, took 5th place in the classics at the Kazakhstan Championship held in January in Shymkent. He was off the podium in both the classic and rapid blitz. Yet here, he emerged as the champion of Asia in rapid chess, entering the classics with a good mood and fighting spirit.
Young chess players from eight countries became rapid winners. In the team competition, Kazakhstan led with 4 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal (8 in total). The Russian team under the FIDE flag had more medals overall (11) - 3 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze. The Indian team took third place with 3 gold and 1 silver medal (4 in total). Vietnam's team had 1 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals (6 total), while Iran secured 1 gold medal.