On 3 December, the first-ever professional chess tournament in the Balkan region of Turkmenistan kicked off at the Seyrana Hotel in the resort town of Awaza. The coastal city is hosting the fifth stage of the 2025 Grand Prix tournament series.
The Grand Prix series, established by the Turkmenistan Chess Federation, is being held for the first time this year. The format involves five tournaments in each region to determine the 16 participants for the final tournament, which will be held in Ashgabat in the second half of December. Grand Prix tournaments are held for both men and women (an open category).
Participants earn points in each of the five qualifying (regional) stages. A player’s three best results count towards the final standings. The sum of these three results determines their overall Grand Prix ranking. The finalists are determined based on the final score.
The winners of the final stage in each category will receive the series’ main prize—direct tickets to the 2026 Turkmenistan Premier League, making each stage of the competition, and thus advancing to the finals, particularly significant for each participant.
The Balkan stage brought together the country’s strongest masters from all regions. After four stages, the current leaders in the overall standings are Amanmuhammet Khommadov from Ashgabat (in the open category) and Gulmira Seyilkhanova (FIDE rating 1930) from Turkmenabat (in the women’s category).
The favorites of the Balkan stage in the open category include:
• Chess coach of the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School, International Master Karen Grigoryan (FIDE rating – 2236),
• Secretary General of the Chess Federation of the country, FIDE Master Mergen Kakabaev (2223),
• Coach of the women’s national team Shakhrukh Turaev (2197)
In the women’s category, the clear favorite is considered to be a player of the women’s national team, FIDE Master among women Leyla Shokhradova (2120).
95 chess players are participating the competition in the open category and 43 chess players in the women’s.
The first two rounds of the competition were already held on December 3. 22 participants in the open and 10 participants in the women’s categories scored 2 points out of 2 possible. The tournament is held according to the Swiss system in nine rounds and will end on December 7.
The Grand Prix series, with stages in each welayat, is intended to become a key element in promoting chess across the country’s regions and identifying new stars and talents.
