The Western Asian Youth Chess Championship, a prominent regional tournament for young chess players, take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from April 20 to 29. Organized by the Tajikistan Chess Federation with the support of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), the championship brought together over 200 participants from 12 countries. Turkmenistan were represented by 17 talented players who demonstrated impressive results throughout the event.
Gold in U18 Girls Blitz: Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Leyla Shokhradova (rating 2029) displayed a dominant performance in the U18 Girls’ blitz category, securing 8.5 points out of a possible 9. This achievement placed her among the top 5 highest-rated participants and stood out as one of the tournament’s most remarkable victories.
Bronze in U8 Open Blitz: Charykhekim Charyyev (rating 1732) earned a bronze medal in the U8 Open blitz category, demonstrating a commendable level of maturity in his gameplay despite his young age.
Bronze in U10 Team Event: The young chess players under the age of 10 achieved a significant milestone by securing third place in the overall team event. The key players contributing to this success were Maksat Avliyakuliev (rating 1739), a crucial player who ensured victories in decisive games, Murat Merdanov (rating 1808), a tactician whose unexpected moves surprised even experienced opponents, and Khupbyev Didar (rating 1613), the youngest member of the team, who displayed incredible resilience.
This bronze medal marks the country’s first team medal at this prestigious tournament.
Bright moments from the awards ceremony, the emotions of the victories, and highlights of the best games were featured at the championship.
