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Vokhidov continues to lead in the men’s section, and Divya in the women’s section after the 8th round of the Asian Continental Chess Championship.
Only one round remains to be played in the Asian Continental Chess Championship. For some, it will be decisive in the battle for a spot in the World Cup, while others will strive to meet the qualification norm. As for the majority of chess players, they will simply play chess, putting aside the resolution of their sports tasks. But, ultimately, it is for this purpose that representatives from 17 countries have come to Almaty.

The victory in the men’s tournament is almost guaranteed for the Uzbekistan Grandmaster. Tomorrow, Shomsiddin Vokhidov will play with the white pieces against A. Suleimenov from Kazakhstan, who already has a ticket to the World Cup. It doesn’t make sense for both players to take risks, and a draw is highly likely. Yesterday, Alisher once again demonstrated deep calculation and precise evaluation of the position, defeating V. Praniz from India. Now we will cheer for the Pavlodar player, watching his games from Baku. Rinat Zhumabayev and Kazymbek Nogerbek, who drew their game against each other, as well as Azamat Utegaliyev, who managed to defend a challenging position against the rating favorite of the tournament, Arjun Erigaisi (India), still have good chances of qualifying. Moreover, Nogerbek and Utegaliyev have excellent prospects for achieving the Grandmaster norm.

So, before the final 9th round, the leaders’ standings are as follows: 1. Sh. Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) – 6.5; 2-5. B. Daneshvar (Iran), A. Suleimenov, A. Puranik (India), Tin Jing Chao (Singapore) – 6; places 6 to 13 are shared by eight participants, including Zhumabayev, Nogerbek, and Utegaliyev – all of them have 5.5 points and must play for a victory to maintain their chances of advancing to the next stage.

In the women’s tournament, Divya (India) confidently leads and can be said to be “lucky as the first-place finisher.” Meruert Kamalidenova held a draw in her hands for a long time while playing against Divya, but she made a terrible oversight despite having half an hour on the clock compared to her opponent’s 4-5 minutes. Fatigue and nerves are the only explanations. The same factors played a bad joke on A. Nurmanova. After the opening, Alua had an advantage and could reasonably hope for a successful outcome in her important encounter with Mari Gomes from India, but the game between friends-rivals, K. Balabaeva and L. Kurmangaliyeva, became decisive. Ksenia Balabaeva managed to avenge her defeat in the recent zonal tournament in Tajikistan and secured a clear fourth place. In the final round, she will play with the black pieces against the leader. Only a victory satisfies Ksenia. The bridges have been burned, there’s no turning back.

Results after 8 rounds: 1. Divya (India) – 7; 2-3. B. Mungutuul (Mongolia) and M. Gomes (India) – 6; 4. K. Balabaeva – 5.5; among the seven girls sharing places from 5 to 11, Kazakhstani players A. Nurman

Divya Deshmukh in the Women’s Section and Shomsiddin Vokhidov in Men’s Section are leading after Round 7
The seventh round became a “black day for black” at the Asian Chess Championship (Women’s section). Indeed, in the first ten boards, white pieces emerged victorious in nine (!) games. To be fair, it should be acknowledged that the reasons behind this were, on one hand, the uncompromising attitude of the female chess players and, on the other hand, a series of inexplicable blunders made in positions where there seemed to be no cause for concern. In a slightly worse position, Mari Gomes (India) did everything possible to allow her opponent to easily promote her pawn to a queen.

As a result, Divya Deshmukh (India) took a clear first place with a one-point lead over her competitors. In another intra-team encounter between Mungutul and Munzukh (both representing Mongolia), the black pieces, without much need, weakened the king and achieved a well-deserved checkmate. However, there were also well-played matches. Rufus Hamdamova (Uzbekistan) convincingly defeated the two-time champion of Kazakhstan Meruert Kamalidenova, and this victory allowed the capital chess player to secure a share of second place. Alinasab, an Iranian player, exerted pressure on the position of the white pieces for a long time but played inaccurately in the ensuing time trouble and missed an elegant tactical blow at the end. Alua Nurmanova carried out the final attack confidently and forcefully. Before the last two rounds, Divya Deshmukh is in the lead with 6 points. Alua Nurmanova, Meruert Kamalidenova, Mari Gomes (India), and B. Mungutul (Mongolia) are tied for second to fifth place, each with 5 points. Lia Kurmangaliev and Ksenia Balabaeva have 4.5 points, with the latter managing to save her game thanks to a clever trap into which her opponent Irene Sukandar from Indonesia unexpectedly fell.

In the men’s tournament, Shomsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) defended his leading position in the game against Arjun Erigaisi (India), but he is closely pursued by Aronyak Ghosh (India) and Tin Jing Chao (Singapore), who achieved victories in the current round. Kazymbek Nogerbek’s game left a positive impression as the talented youngster firmly controlled the situation against Indian player Puranik Abhimanyu, and in the final position, where a draw was agreed upon, he might have even had slightly better chances. The game between Azamat Utegaliyev and Rinat Zhumabayev also resulted in a draw. Alisher Suleimenov’s position against Daneshvar Bardia (Iran) caused concern for a long time, but at a critical moment, his opponent became nervous and failed to find the strongest continuation, after which the player from Pavlodar demonstrated the path to salvation with computer-like precision. A draw! Thus, four of Kazakhstan’s players are currently tied for fourth place and have excellent chances to qualify for the World Cup. Rinat Zhumabayev, Azamat Utegaliyev, Kazymbek Nogerbek, and Alisher Suleimenov each have 4.5 points, trailing the leading trio by just half a point.

Check the results for Men Section, Women Section

See the official website and  photo Album of the tournament

The Asian Chess Championship has reached two-thirds of its journey. The tension is increasing, and one could say it’s palpable, especially in the tournament hall. The most important game was played on the first board and revealed the sole leader of the tournament. Rinat Zhumabaev boldly ventured into intricate complications, but his opponent proved to be more precise. Before the final round, Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) leads the pack, with a one-point lead over a large group of pursuers (12 players).

A fascinating game was played between Alisher Suleimenov and the 2016 Asian Champion, Sethuraman. The game was consistently in favor of the Kazakhstani player, although with occasional subtleties and implementation difficulties. With an elegant combination under the opponent’s time pressure, the Pavlodar player managed to tip the scales in his favor. Murtas Kazhgaleev and Azamat Utegaliyev fought uncompromisingly. The Grandmaster launched an attack but made an imprecise move at a critical moment in the game, allowing the defense to prevail. Kazymbek Nogerbek played a solid game as Black against an opponent with a decent rating. With three rounds remaining, Shamsiddin Vokhidov leads with 5.5 points out of 6. M. Madaminov (Uzbekistan), B. Daneshvar, Pur Amirreza (both from Iran), R. Zhumabaev, A. Suleimenov, A. Utegaliyev, K. Nogerbek (all from Kazakhstan), A. Puranik, V. Pranav, A. Erigaisi, G. Aronyak (all from India), and Z. Tin (Singapore) all have 4.5 points.

As always, the women’s section was fiercely contested. Mari Gomes (India) and B. Munguntuul (Mongolia) “haggled” for over a hundred moves before the white pawn finally promoted to a queen. Unfortunately, to the disappointment of Kazakhstani fans, Alua Nurmanova lost a hard-fought battle against D. Divya (India).

Kseniya Balabaeva and Meruert Kamalidenova spent a considerable amount of time determining who was stronger, and the game ultimately ended in a draw. N. Nurgali came close to success against experienced player Sukandar (Indonesia), but her opponent managed to fend off the attack. T. Munkhzul (Mongolia) secured an important victory, allowing her to claim the third position in the standings. After six rounds, the quartet of leaders transformed into a duo: M. Gomes and D. Divya (both from India) have scored 5 points each. T. Munkhzul has 4.5 points. K. Balabaeva, A. Nurmanova, M. Kamalidenova (all from Kazakhstan), B. Munguntuul (Mongolia), A. Khamdamova (Uzbekistan), and M. Alinasab (Iran) have 4 points each. N. Nurgali, A. Serikbay, and L. Kurmangaliyeva have 3.5 points and are still “in contention” for overall success if they finish strong.

June 7, 2023, Almaty. Today, the 5th round of the Continental Asian Chess Championship is taking place at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace, with four more rounds ahead. The participants have reached the halfway point of the tournament, which means it’s time to summarize the intermediate results.

After the completion of the first four rounds in the Open Championship for men, Grandmaster Rinat Zhumabaev is leading the standings. Alongside another experienced member of the Kazakhstani national team, Murtas Kazhgaleev, they had a strong start. In the 2nd round, they had to face their opponents with the black pieces, which is always associated with considerable difficulties and risks. While Murtas quickly tilted the balance in his favor with an elegant yet not overly complex tactical strike against the multiple-time champion of Kyrgyzstan, Semetei Tologontegin, Rinat secured his victory through a tough battle. His opponent, Mohammad Rahman from Bangladesh, entrenched himself on the first two ranks and refused to yield an inch of his territory until he lost a pawn close to the time control. It was later revealed that it was a positional sacrifice by the grandmaster, who
had calculated the consequences much further than his opponent, ultimately proving to be correct.

In the 3rd round, Rinat Zhumabaev defeated International Master Aditya Samanta from India, and the 4th round ended in a draw against Iranian player Daneshvar Bardia, who currently occupies the second position after four rounds. Grandmaster Shamsiddin Vokhidov from Uzbekistan is in the third position. Several Kazakhstani players made it into the top ten, including Alisher Suleimenov, Azamat Utegaliyev, Ansar Aldiyar, Murtas Kazhgaleev, and Kazybek Nogerbek. Overall, we have six positions in the top ten.

In the women’s section, Amina Kairbekova had a good performance in the 2nd round, playing on the first board against experienced Iranian player Mobina Aminasab. Asel Serikbay and Liya Kurmangaliyeva faced each other right from the start. The game was played interestingly, and both girls showed a lot of creativity and a will to win, but Asel emerged victorious. Kseniya Balabaeva also started with two consecutive wins. Her opponent, Adelya Ospanova, held the initiative for quite some time as White but eventually succumbed to Kseniya’s precise play. Nazerkke Nurgali, too, started with a perfect score of 2 out of 2, defeating Ayana Abaeva from Kyrgyzstan in a technically precise manner.

After the third and fourth rounds, Alua Nurmanova and Meruert Kamalidenova earned a score of “minus five” as they garnered one and a half points from the two rounds. The game between Nazerkke Nurgali and Meruert Kamalidenova lasted 124 moves and ended in a draw.

After four rounds, Alua Nurmanova, Meruert Kamalidenova, and Nazerkke Nurgali are in pursuit, trailing the leaders by just half a point. The top position after the fourth round is held by Grandmaster B. Munguntuul from Mongolia.

Considering the intensity of the competition at the start, we can anticipate exciting emotions in the middlegame and, especially, at the finish of the championship. It is worth noting that today there is also a simultaneous game session for young chess players with the First Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF)
and Vice President of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), Darman Sadvakasov.

The Continental Asian Chess Championship (Open Championship for men and Championship for women) will continue until the end of this week. The closing ceremony and the awarding of the winners will take place on June 11.

The tournament is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, the Asian Chess Federation, and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation with the support of the Akimat of Almaty. The general partner of the tournament is Freedom Holding Corp.

Media Contact:
Daria Burkova
daria@kazchess.kz
+7 701 351 95 50

– Kazakhstan Chess Federation Press Release

On Saturday, June 3, 2023, the Continental Asian Blitz Chess Championship took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Blitz chess is one of the fastest variants of chess, where each player is given 3 minutes for the entire game, with an additional 2 seconds added for each move.

After nine rounds of intense competition, Kazakhstani athletes emerged victorious. The champion of the open blitz tournament was FIDE Master Arystan Isanzhulov from Semey, a 20-year-old player with a standard rating of 2408 and a blitz rating of 2450. Second place went to chess player Venkatesh Pranav from India, while our compatriot Denis Makhnev secured the third position.

Among the women, the gold medal was awarded to the Women’s International Master Kseniya Balabaeva from Almaty, an 18-year-old player with a standard rating of 2186 and a blitz rating of 2113. Divya Deshmukh from India claimed the silver medal, and Turmunhiin Munkhzuul from Mongolia took home the bronze.

The blitz championship took place at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace and gathered 116 chess players from nearly 20 countries around the world. Our winners outperformed all the more renowned opponents—37 participants in the tournament had a blitz rating above 2300, with six of them having a rating above 2500.

According to Gulmira Dauletova, the Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF), the annual blitz championships are traditionally held in Asia alongside classical chess competitions. Last year, Kazakhstan also secured the gold medal in the blitz tournament among the continent’s chess players, with Rinat Dzhumabaev taking the first place.

As tradition dictates, the tournament opened with the ceremonial first move. This honorary right was granted to the First Vice President of the KCF, Darman Sadvakasov, and the Vice President of the Federation, Marat Yesenov. Additionally, in one of the rounds, the General Secretary of the Asian Chess Federation, Hisham Al-Taher, made the first move.

On Sunday, June 4, 2023, the Continental Asian Chess Championship will commence in Almaty. The grand opening ceremony will start at 14:30, and admission is free. The general partner for both tournaments is Freedom Holding Corp. The organizers of the tournaments are the Akimat of Almaty, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, the KCF, the Asian Chess Federation, and FIDE. The competition partners are the Baluan Sholak
Sports Palace, Shymbulak Water, and Lichess.com.

– Kazakhstan Chess Federation Press Release

The Zone 3.4 Zonals for Men and Women were held 26 May to 3 June 2023 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, organized by the Tajikistan Chess Federation. The event was supported by the FIDE Planning and Development Commission.

GM Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan and IM Alisher Suleymenov of Kazakhstan won the top two places by tie break.

Crosstable Men: Chess-Results Server Chess-results.com – Zone 3.4 Men Championship 2023

Crosstable Woen: Chess-Results Server Chess-results.com – Zone 3.4 wom Championship 2023

WIM Assel Seikbay (left) vs WIM Meruert Kamalidenova, both of Kazakhstan. Seikbay finished first alone with 6.5 points.

The 134th Internet Based FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar was held from 25th to 28th May 2023. The Lecturer was IA Pahlevanzadeh, Mehrdad (IRI), FIDE Lecturer. The event was supported by the FIDE Planning and Development Commission.

The Language of the Seminar was English.

Twenty-five (25) arbiters from five (5) federations, namely Hungary, India, Iran, Malaysia and Nepal, participated in the Seminar.

See 134th Internet-based FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar (Asian Chess Federation) – Report – Arbiters’ Commission

05/06/2023, Almaty. The Continental Asian Chess Championship has started in the Baluan Sholak Palace of Sports, Almaty. In total, 128 chess players from 18 countries will take part in the tournament.

Today, the Regional Communications Service of the City of Almaty hosted a press conference of the championship organisers. According to Timur Turlov, a president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF), Kazakhstan faces a rapid development of chess thanks to the support of the head of state. He said that at this championship, our players have an opportunity play with famous grandmasters from other countries. Timur Turlov thanked the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), FIDE, the city akimat represented by Yerbolat Dosayev, the Akim of Almaty, and many others for supporting in organising this event.

Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher said that the Asian Continental Chess Championship is the most important and significant tournament among more than 200 events held by ACF. “I would like to thank Timur Turblov and the akim of the City of Almaty personally for the support and high level of organisation of the tournament,” he said. Hisham Al Taher recalled that the winners (including four finalists of the Open Championship and two finalists of the Women’s Championship) shall take part in the Fide World Cup 2023, which shall be held in Baku in the second half of the summer. The winners of the Cup will have an opportunity to participate in the tournament of
applicants and then in the match for the chess crown.

According to S. P. Sethuraman, a famous Indian chess grandmaster, a winner of the Asian Chess Championship 2016, the Almaty tournament has gathered a very strong team of chess players and he is expecting an intense interesting struggle.

Gulmira Dauletova, the Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, said that on Saturday, the Kazakhstani players Ksenia Balabayeva and Arystan Isanzhulov won clear first at the Asian Continental Blitz Chess Championship 2023. According to the Sunday’s results, Kazakhstani payers Rinat Zhumabayev, Murtas Doshaleev, Denis Makhnev, Kazybek Nogerbek and others won confident victories in classical chess. We are very pleased with the victories of Arnash Bauyrzhan, Liya Kurmangaliyeva, Ksenia Balabayeva, Amina Kairbekova among other chess players.

The foreign chess players, including S. P. Sethuraman (India), Shamsutdin Vakhidov (Uzbekistan) and Daneshvar Bardia (Iran) held notable exciting games.

Darman Sadvakasov, the KCF first Vice President and ACF Vice President of ACF shared plans for the development of chess in Kazakhstan. He stated that by 2027, over 20% of primary school students shall attend chess classes,and at least 200 new chess clubs shall be opened in education institutions.

One of the main KCF goals is to see the national chess team and Kazakhstani chess players in the world TOP-10. The Kazakhstan Chess Federation pays particular attention to the training and advanced education of chess teachers, holdong international tournaments and other activities to promote chess in Kazakhstan.

The Continental Asian Chess Championship is held in the Baluan Sholak Palace of Sports, Almaty, until 11 June 2023. The tournament prize fund is $100,000. Competitions consist of the Open Men’s Championship and the Women’s Championship. It is a Swiss-system tournament with 9 rounds, holding in accordance with the FIDE regulations.

The tournament organisers are the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ACF, KCF with the support of the Akimat of Almaty City. The general partner of the tournament is Freedom Holding Corp.

– Kazakhstan Chess Federation Press Release