The FIDE World Cup for Under 8, 10, and 12 categories in Batumi, Georgia has come to a close. After nine days of intense battles over the chessboard, champions emerged in all six sections.
The closing ceremony, attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE Director of Special Tasks and President of the Georgian Chess Federation Akaki Iashvili, and other distinguished guests, was filled with a warm atmosphere of joy, celebration, and heartfelt farewells. It opened with the official FIDE anthem, followed by a performance of the Georgian national anthem by a children’s ensemble.
The winners received their well-deserved awards, and all participants were recognized for their dedication, effort, and passion for chess.
“It is wonderful that a top chess event, the FIDE World Cup Under 12, returned to Batumi, Georgia. Thanks to the Georgian Chess Federation and its President Akaki Iashvili, this competition was a great success. I would like to thank everyone involved—the officials, media team, technicians, and volunteers who worked on site. And of course, our special thanks go to the parents. This is your success as well. You helped your kids achieve what they did here. Thank you for supporting them and making them happy,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.
A special lottery was also held during the ceremony, with all participants automatically entered. FIDE President Dvorkovich personally drew the winner’s name—one lucky participant received a brand-new iPhone 16 Pro Max as a special prize from the organizers.
Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher awards trophies to FM Biswas Sourath of India and WFM Galina Mikheeva of Russia for winning the Asian Juniors and Girls Chess Championships, respectively.
A record 93 juniors and 72 girls from 13 countries participated in the Asian Juniors and Girls Chess Championships held 25 June to 4 July 2025 in Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka.
The event was organized by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka at the beautiful Citrus Hotel in Waskaduwa.
Sourath and IM L M S T De Silva of Sri Lanka tied at 7.5 points each but Sourath had defeated De Silva in their Direct Encounter to win the tie break. IM Kashish Manoj Jain of India finished alone with 7 points for the bronze medal.
In the girls division.WFM Galina Mikheeva of Russia, playing under FIDE flag, finished alone with 7.5 points for the title. WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana of Sri Lanka and WIM Sarayu Valpula of India tied at 7 points each for second and third place, respectively, by tie break.
Sri Lanka Chess Federation president Luxman Wijesuriya welcomes Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher to the Asian Juniors and Girls Chess Championship in Sri Lanka.
The Asian Junior Chess Championships 2025 is taking place in Sri Lanka from 25th June to 4th July 2025 at 5-star Citrus Resort Hotel with the participation of a record 164 players from 15 countries. Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Russia under FIDE, Singapore, Uzbekistan and host Sri Lanka are participating in the event.
FM Biswas Sourath of India and IM L M S T De Silva are tied neck and neck with 6.5 points each after eight rounds. Five players are within striking distance at 6 points each.
In the girls divisioin, WIM Oshini Gunawardhana, WCM Velmurugan Sreekarthika of Singapore and WFM Galina Mikheeva of Russia playing under FIDE flag are tied for the lead at 6.5 points. each. Three players are close behind at 6 points each.
The 190th Internet-Based FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar was organized by the Asian Chess Federation under the auspices of FIDE, and held via Zoom from 16th to 20th June 2025. The lecturer was IA/IO Mahdi Abdulrahim (UAE), a FIDE Lecturer, Chairman of ACF Arbiters Commission, and the language of seminar was Arabic. The opening session was attended by:
Mr. Ivan Syrovy, Chairman of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission
IA/IO Casto Abundo, Executive Director of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF)
IA/IO Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh, Secretary of the ACF Arbiters’ Commission.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Ivan Syrovy welcomed the participants and encouraged them to take full advantage of the knowledge and experience shared by the lecturer. He wished all attendees success in the seminar and examination.
Daily lectures were conducted in evening session: 18:00–22:30 (Dubai Time, GMT+4). The seminar examination was held on 20th June 2025 and lasted for four hours.
The lecturer prepared both the seminar content and the examination materials.
Nineteen (19) arbiters from six (6) national chess federations (EGY, JOR, SUD, SYR, TUN, UAE) participated in the Seminar, and all of them participated in the examination test, held after the end of the lectures.
The following succeeded in the test and they will be awarded a norm for the title of the FIDE Arbiter, after the approval of the next FIDE Council:
Narciso Gumila Jr. won the Antipolo City Youth Chess Club Inc. Chess Tournament on June 20, 2025 at the Waltermart, L. Sumulong Memorial Circle, Antipolo City, Philippines.
Gumila tied for first places with Marikina’s Salvador “Bobby dela Paz” at 6.0 points each.
The tournament was a Rapid chess event with 15 minutes plus 3 seconds time control. The event was jointly organized by National Master Jose “Jojo” Aquino and Sonny dela Rosa.
With the higher tie break points, Gumila took the title while Dela Paz finished second.
Gumila tallied five wins and two draws against Ervil Villa (Round 3) and Jaime Criste (Round 7), respectively that earned him P5,000 in cash prize plus an elegant trophy.
The 37 year old Gumila plays for Pasig City King Pirates in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP).
Rounding up the top 10 were Jaime Criste (3rd); Sherwin Romero (4th); Ervil Villa (5th); Vladimir Lait (6th); John Randall Peralta (7th); Aron Mihail Hugo (8th) Mark Bravo (9th) and Gene Kenneth Estrellado (10th).
Meanwhile, Jian Carlo Rivera of San Mateo topped the rapid 16 and under division. He also won the blitz side event.-Marlon Bernardino-
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa emerged as the winner of the UzChess Cup 2025, edging out Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a thrilling tiebreaker. The Indian GM took home the $20,000 first prize and extended his lead in the FIDE Circuit 2025 standings.
The second edition of the UzChess Cup took place at the “Panaram’s” Hotel in Tashkent. The total prize fund amounted to $121,500, with $80,000 allocated to the “Masters” group, $25,000 to the “Challengers,” $11,500 to the “Futures,” and $5,000 to the “Open” group.
The Masters tournament was fiercely contested, with all players showing exceptional fighting spirit—none of them finished the event undefeated. Praggnanandhaa and Abdusattorov started strong, tying for the lead after Round 4 with 3/4. However, in the next round, the Indian GM lost to Parham Maghsoodloo, while the Uzbek star defeated Chithambaram Aravindh and pulled ahead. Praggnanandhaa then suffered another loss in the following round, seemingly falling out of title contention.
Despite a loss to his compatriot Nodirbek Yakubboev in Round 6, Abdusattorov entered the final ninth round as the sole leader on 5.5/8, half a point ahead of Sindarov and a full point ahead of Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi.
In the decisive final-round game—and arguably the game of the tournament—Praggnanandhaa rose to the occasion and outplayed the leader with the black pieces in a Sicilian Defense to catch up. Meanwhile, Sindarov drew with Maghsoodloo, and Erigaisi, despite holding a significant advantage at some point, only managed a draw against Aravindh. As a result, Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov, and Sindarov all finished with 5.5/9.
To determine the champion, a tiebreaker in the form of a double round-robin with fast time control was played. In a dramatic twist, all three players finished with 2/4—forcing another tie. A second tiebreaker, this time a single round-robin, followed. Praggnanandhaa scored 1.5 points to clinch the title. Sindarov, who defeated Abdusattorov but lost to the eventual winner, finished second.
Final standings — UzChess Cup Masters
1
Praggnanandhaa, R
2767
IND
5½
2
Sindarov, Javokhir
2767
UZB
5½
3
Abdusattorov, Nodirbek
2710
UZB
5½
4
Erigaisi, Arjun
2782
IND
5
5
Maghsoodloo, Parham
2691
IRI
4½
6
Rapport, Richard
2714
HUN
4½
7
Yakubboev, Nodirbek
2659
UZB
4½
8
Vokhidov, Shamsiddin
2644
UZB
4
9
Nepomniachtchi, Ian
2757
FID
3½
10
Aravindh, Chithambaram
2749
IND
2½
In the other sections, GM Nikolas Theodorou (pictured above, right) of Greece won the Challengers event, GM Saparmyrat Atabayev of Turkmenistan came out on top in the Futures tournament, while local player Bekhruz Umarov triumphed in the Open competition.
The 3×3 (Tatluhan) Rapid Chess Tournament 2050 and below average rating is slated this Sunday, July 6, 2025 at the Robinsons Galleria, Edsa Corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines.
Laurence Wilfred “Larry” Dumadag and Einnar Marc “Bino” Reyes are organizing the event in cooperation with Alex Dinoy and Alfredo Chay. A total cash purse worth P100,000 plus trophy and medals will be given away to winners.
“That’s the goal, to produce future champions and Grandmasters,” said Dumadag, team owner of PCAP’s Cagayan Chess Kings.
The champion team will earn P30,000 .
The second placer will get P20,000 , third placer will receive P10,000, fourth placer will bring home P5,000 while the fifth placer will pocket P4,000.
Sixth to 8th placers will bring home P3,000 each.
Special awards will receive P3,000 each for the Top College, Top High School, Top Ladies, Top 2000 and Top 1900.
The 14 years old and below champion will receive P4,000 plus trophy while the 2nd to 5th placers will get P2,000, P1,000, P600 and P400 plus medals.
6th to 10th placers will earn medals while the top under 10 and top under 12 will pocket P300 each plus medals.
Call or text 09957825441 or 09051991728 for complete details.-Marlon Bernardino
National Master Elwin Retanal topped the 2nd Only Move International FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament held 27-28 June 2025 at the Alfaisal University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and standings.
Retanal, the 1997 Philippine Junior chess champion, who hails from Minglanilla, Cebu finished the 7-round Swiss competition with a perfect 7.0 points.
He swept past Yousuf Omar Gharib, Balamurugan Rithita, and Arena International Master Nasser Asain in his first three matches.
Retanal then dismantled Jordanian Master Ghayth Ababneh before subduing Mohammed Alaqeel Abdulaziz, who is a member of Saudi Chess Federation (SCF) team in the World Chess Olympiad, in the fifth round.
Maintaining his momentum, Retanal dealt Grandmaster Abdelrahman Hesham and FIDE Master Hatem Eldesoky, both from Egypt, to complete a clean sweep that earned him 6,000 Saudi Riyal in cash prize.
Grandmaster Mohamed Haddouche of Algeria came second with 6.5 points, followed by Egypt’s Ismail Ammar, Jordan’s Ababneh Ghayth and Pakistan’s Arena International Master Hamid Hassan with 6.0 points each.-Marlon Bernardino
IM Nayaka Budhidharma of Indonesia and Chelladurai Femil of India topped the Asian Juniors and Girls blitz championship, respectively.
FM Alekhine Nouri of the Philippines tied with Budhidharma at 6.5 points each. The Indonesian had the better tie break for gold as Nouri settled for silver. Rakhmatullaev of Uzbekistan followed with 6 points and the higher tie break score for the bronze medal.
In the girls division, Chelladurai Femil of India finished alone with 6.5 points for the gold medal. Oksana Goriachkina, playing under the FIDE flag, won bronze with 6 points. Local bet EFM K.M. Dahamdi Sanudula of Sri Lanka won bronze with 5.5 points and the highest tie break score.
Sri Lanka Chess Federation president Luxman Wijesuriya makes the ceremonial moves opening the Asian Juniors and Girls Chess Championships going on 25 June to 4 July 2025 in Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka.
FM Alekhine Nouri (photo above) of the Philippines topped the Asian Junior Rapid Chess Championship with 6.5 points out of 7 rounds. FM Mahendru Jaiveer of India and Jerish John Velarde of the Philippines tied with 6 points each for silver and bronze, respectively.
In the girls division, WFM Galina Mikheeva, playing under the FIDE flag, won the gold medal with 6.5 points. WIM Zhao Yunqing of China and WIM G. Tejaswini of India tied with 6 points each for the silver and bronze, respectively.
Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and full final standings.
