This initiative aims to provide Turkmen chess players with increased competitive experience, expand their pathways to the top league, and boost the popularity of chess nationwide.
The series will consist of six classical format Grand Prix tournaments, held across all five regions of Turkmenistan and the capital city.
The inaugural Ashgabat stage, hosted at the specialized chess and draughts school, attracted 127 participants: 83 in the open category and 44 in the women’s category.
Following the completion of all six Grand Prix tournaments, the top 16 players in each category will advance to a final playoff stage in the capital. This final stage will feature elimination matches, with the winners in both categories earning direct entry into Turkmenistan’s 2026 top league, where the national team for international competitions is selected.
A significant innovation of this Grand Prix tournament is the introduction of real-time online broadcasting of games, a first in Turkmen chess history. Using sensors embedded in the chess pieces and boards, every move is instantly digitized and transmitted to an online platform via the DGT LiveCHESS application.
Chess enthusiasts, professionals, and spectators worldwide can now follow each move, analyze the players’ strategies, and enjoy the excitement of the games. The online broadcasts also display the players’ remaining time, adding another layer of intrigue for viewers.
The broadcasts are hosted on Lichess, a widely popular platform among chess fans for watching live games from various tournaments globally.
The current tournament features live broadcasts of seven boards in the open category and three boards in the women’s category, allowing viewers to closely follow the intense matches and support their preferred players. The Chess Federation of Turkmenistan and the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Draughts School plan to increase the number of boards broadcast simultaneously.
The technical implementation of this initiative is supported by the Dutch company DGT, a manufacturer of specialized chess equipment for online broadcasting, and the leading Turkmen IT company “Imdat Elektronika”.
The Chess Federation of Turkmenistan believes this technological advancement represents a significant step towards making chess a spectator sport for a broader audience.
