Meylis Annaberdyev won a convincing victory at the prestigious 5th Rigo Janos Memorial GM-B international chess tournament, which took place from June 20–26, in Balatonlelle, Hungary.
The competition was held in a round-robin format with a time control of 90 minutes, with a 30-second increment per move, starting with the first.
The tournament was included in the FIDE International Chess Calendar and was held according to international ratings. Ten titled chess players from around the world participated.
After nine rounds, Meylis Annaberdyev (FIDE rating 2415) scored 6 points out of a possible 9, confidently taking first place in the final standings. His victory came against a strong field of participants, including International Masters and Grandmasters from Hungary, Belarus, Greece, India, and Poland.
Following the tournament, the Turkmen grandmaster increased his FIDE rating by 12.1 points, the best rating increase among the tournament leaders.
Hungarian International Master Ágoston Juhász took second place with 5.5 points. Third place went to International Master Bendegúz Bodrogi (Hungary), who also scored 5.5 points and lost on tiebreakers.
The tournament was established in 2022 in memory of János Rygó (1948–2020), a renowned Hungarian chess organizer, International Master, and arbiter. The competition typically features international grandmasters, international masters, and strong young chess players lacking one or more norms. The average rating of GM group participants is typically around 2400–2450.
Meylis Annaberdiev is one of the strongest chess players in the history of independent Turkmenistan. He became an International Grandmaster (GM) in 2022 and, at the time of his title, held the highest rating among chess players in the country. In November 2021, his peak FIDE rating was 2537. He grew up in a renowned chess family, and his first and only coach was his older brother, Honored Coach of Turkmenistan Serdar Annaberdiev.
His significant victories include a bronze medal in team rapid at the 2017 Asian Indoor Games, team gold in the B category with the Turkmenistan national team at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, victories and prizes in major international open tournaments in Turkey, including victory at the 2025 Mersin International Open, silver at the 2025 Cappadocia Open, and silver at the 2022 Başkent University Open.
Meylis Annaberdyev’s victory at the international tournament in Hungary is further evidence of the high level of the Turkmen chess school and the successful performance of Turkmen athletes on the world stage.
