The 26-year-old international grandmaster from Ashgabat, Saparmyrat Atabayev, won the prestigious international tournament UzChess Cup Futures held in Tashkent.
The second edition of the UzChess Cup featured 26 international grandmasters, 4 international masters, and many other chess players, taking place at the Panarams Hotel in four categories. The total prize fund was $121,500, with $80,000 allocated to the “Masters” group, $25,000 to “Challengers,” $11,500 to “Futures,” and $5,000 to the “Open” group.
The Futures tournament gathered 10 players (8 international grandmasters and 2 international masters) from 7 countries, competing for the title in a 9-round round-robin format with a time control of 90 minutes per game plus 30 seconds increment per move, and a no-draw agreement before move 30.
Saparmyrat started strongly, defeating in the first two rounds the highest-rated player (2588) among all participants, 26-year-old Spanish grandmaster of Argentine origin Alan Pichot, and with the black pieces the Danish grandmaster Boris Chatalbashev (rating 2489). These bold and strategically important victories set the tone for his entire performance.
Even small setbacks, such as the third-round loss to Uzbek grandmaster Ortik Nigmatov (rating 2474), did not derail the Turkmen player. Saparmyrat quickly regained control, showing an unyielding will to win. In key games, he demonstrated his brilliance again, overcoming opponents and firmly securing the top spot in the standings. Notably, his wins in the last two rounds against grandmasters Robert Ruck (rating 2515) from Hungary and Abdimalik Abdisalimov (rating 2490) from Uzbekistan ensured a golden finish for our compatriot.
Last year, Saparmyrat was part of the Turkmenistan men’s team that won gold in category “B” at the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest (Hungary), and in February this year he won the 2nd international “AL-BERUNIY” tournament (Futures) in Tashkent.
Ahead of Saparmyrat Atabayev are participation in prestigious tournaments, including the World Cup in November this year in New Delhi (India).
