The 26th Asian Youth Chess Championships, held June 10-20, 2024, at the Almaty Sports Palace in Kazakhstan, came to a successful close. Setting a record for participant numbers in an international chess event hosted by Kazakhstan, the competition attracted 650 young players aged 7 to 18 from 33 countries. The youngsters battled it out in all time controls: standard, rapid, and blitz.

The event was organized by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KazChess), with support from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Asian Chess Federation, the Akimat of Almaty, and the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. Freedom Holding Corp. is the general partner of the championships.

Kazakh chess players emerged victorious, winning the first team place. Competing against top juniors from leading chess countries such as India, China, and Iran, they secured 25 medals, including 12 gold.

The closing ceremony featured by KazChess President Timur Turlov, Almaty City Mayor Beibut Shakhanov, Secretary General of the Asian Chess Federation Hisham Al-Tahera, FIDE Management Board Executive Director Viktor Bologan, and other dignitaries.

“This tournament is of great significance for our country, reflecting the trust of the global chess community. For the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, it was a test of our professionalism. Judging by the number of awards won by our players and the positive feedback from participants from 33 countries, we passed this test with flying colors,” said Timur Turlov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, who personally congratulated the winners at the closing ceremony.

Participants hailed from various parts of Asia, from Iran to New Zealand. Besides the Kazakh team, which won medals in all three time controls (12 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze), other notable winners included FIDE (9 gold medals), India (5 gold medals), Vietnam (3 gold), Iran (3 gold), China (1 gold), Mongolia (1 gold), Kyrgyzstan (1 gold), and the Philippines (1 gold). Three participants achieved double victories in both standard and rapid: Narayani Umesh Maratha (G08) from India, Anna Shukhman (G18, FIDE), and Kazakhstan’s Aldiyar Ansat (U18). Besides the overall team standings, 36 gold medals were awarded across boys’ and girls’ categories in six age groups and three time controls (rapid, standard, and blitz).

At the closing ceremony, the newly crowned World Junior Chess Champion, Kazybek Nogerbek, was also honored. In a remarkable gesture, KazChess President Timur Turlov announced a “golden package” of support worth 30 million tenge, presented Kazybek with the keys to an electric car and personally congratulated him on his remarkable victory, marking a new chapter in the history of Kazakh chess.

The 26th Youth Championship was held with a focus on environmental friendliness and sustainable development. All plastic used at the tournament was recycled, with participants even contributing by using a unique bicycle shredder. Notably, the championship winners’ cups were also crafted from recycled plastic.

Beyond the intense competition, the championship offered participants opportunities to explore Almaty’s natural beauty by hiking at Shymbulak.

The Kazakhstan Chess Federation also organized master classes with Moldavian grandmaster and FIDE executive director Viсtor Bologan and Kazakh grandmaster Alisher Suleimenov as well as other leisure activities.

Official website of the event: aycc2024.kazchess.kz

Press releases and photos of the 26th Asian Youth Championship can be found here.

FIDE, the Confederation of Chess for Americas and the Brazilian Chess Federation invite all national chess federations to participate in the World Youth Chess Championships U14, U16, and U18. The competitions will take place in Florianopolis, SC, Brazil, from October 28 (date of arrival) to November 10, 2024 (day of departure).

Every national federation can register one official player in each category (under 14, 16, 18 years old, Open and Girls). This total of six official players plus one accompanying person (captain or head of delegation with FIDE ID) are invited by the organizers.

The players placed 1-3 in the previous U14, U16, U18 World Youth Championships 2023, and the respective Champions (gold medalists) of the last Continental Youth Championships have the personal right to participate in their category or a higher age group.

Registration deadline is September 2, 2024.

The first World Youth Chess Solving Championship will be held during WYCC on November 4th, mirroring the age and gender categories of the main event.

FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2024 official website will be launched by July 1: worldyouth2024.fide.com

E-mail: worldyouth@fide.com

Invitation letter with all the details (PDF)

Photo: Oscar Fava

FIDE and the Italian Chess Federation, together with UniChess, invite all FIDE member federations and eligible players to participate in the FIDE World Cadet Chess Championship U8, U10, U12.

The competition will take place in Montesilvano, Italy, from November 14-27, 2024. National federations may register one official player in each category: under 8, 10, and 12 (Open and Girls). The total of six official players and one head of delegation with a valid FIDE ID from the national federation are invited by the organizers. All players must be under 8, 10, or 12 years old as of January 1, 2024.

Personal invitations are granted to the top 3 players in each category of the last World Cadet Championships (2023), the Continental Cadet Champions of 2023 (1st ranked), and the players placed 1-3 in the FIDE World Cup for youngsters of 2024.

National federations may register as many additional players and accompanying persons as they wish, but only upon confirmation by the organizing committee.

The registration deadline is September 30, 2024.

During the WCCC, the inaugural World Cadet Chess Solving Championship 2024 in the same six categories will be held on November 21.

FIDE World Cadet Chess Championships 2024 official website will be launched by July 1: worldcadets2024.fide.com

E-mail: worldcadet@fide.com

Invitation Letter and Regulations (PDF)

The FIDE World Junior Chess Championship 2024 is in the books. Nearly 230 players from 42 countries participated in this fascinating event in Gujarat, India. Both Open and Girls competitions were 11-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control.

The open section was a tightly contested tournament that came down to the wire. Going into the final 11th round, Mamikon Gharibyan of Armenia was in the lead with 8/10, closely followed by his compatriot Emin Ohanyan and IM Nogerbek Kazybek (Kazakhstan), both on 7.5/10. To add excitement to the finale, the leader faced Kazybek with black pieces, while Ohanyan took on IM Daniel Quizon of the Philippines.

Nogerbek’s persistence and determination in a roughly even endgame earned him a crucial victory over Mamikon, which allowed him to leapfrog the leader. Meanwhile, Emin Ohanyan defeated Daniel Quizon, who blundered a nice intermezzo in a balanced position and caught up with Nogerbek. Both scored an impressive 8.5/11, tying for the top position, but the title goes to Nogerbek Kazybek, thanks to a slightly better Buchholz.

Three players netted 8/11 and shared third place with Luka Budisavljevic taking bronze with the help of superior Buchholz.

Final standings Open:

Complete final standings

In the Girls section, the top seed Divya Deshmukh (India) seized the lead after Round 6 and never looked back. The home player turned in a commanding performance and won the title with a spectacular score of 10/11.  The second seed WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (Armenia) stayed in the race for gold to the final round but finished a half-point behind the champion and took silver. Ayan Allahverdiyeva collected 8.5/11 and earned bronze.

Final standings Girls:

Complete final standings

Photos: ChessBase India

The FIDE World Junior Chess Championship 2024 in Gujarat, India, passed its midpoint. The organizers have prepared some fascinating entertainment for the participants’ day off, including various excursions, a table tennis tournament, and many other options. This will allow the players to rest and prepare for the second half of the tournament starting on June 9th.

Let’s take a look at the standings and results of both Open and Girls sections after six rounds.

In the Open event, four players are tied for first place, scoring 5 points each: IM Nogerbek Kazybek (KAZ, pictured below), GM Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso (COL), IM Rudik Makarian (FID), and IM De Silva L M S T (SRI).

As many as 13 players, including the second and third seeds Alexey Grebnev (FID) and Pranav Anand (IND), are trailing the leading quartet by just a half-point. This ensures an even more fascinating and entertaining second half of the tournament.

Standings after Round 6 Open

In the Girls’ section, IM Divya Deshmukh (pictured below) is the sole leader with 5.5 points after six rounds. WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (ARM), Narmin Abdinova (AZE), and Kseniya Norman (FID) are just a half-point behind. Just like in the open section, the girls’ tournament is keeping us guessing who will emerge as the winner at the end.

Standings after Round 6 Girls

Some general information about the tournament:

• There are almost 230 players in this tournament from 44 different federations with 104 different titles.
• 55% of all participants in this competition are from the host country, India.

The live broadcast is available here:

Open section
live.aicf.in/worldjunior2024/open/index.html

Girls section
live.aicf.in/worldjunior2024/girls/index.html

Photos: Sarangam Production

The 2024 edition of the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship has just commenced in Radisson GIFT City, Gujarat, India. 

Almost 230 players from 44 countries are participating in this competition, with 125 players (including 13 GMs) from 39 countries in the open section. The highest-rated player in the tournament is GM Abhimanyu Mishra (2627) from the USA. 

The girl’s section attracted 101 players (including two WGMs) from 27 countries. IM Divya Deshmukh (2456) from India is the top seed in this tournament. 

The first day of the championship was marked by a technical meeting led by the chief arbiter, IA Ashot Vardapetyan. This was followed by a grand opening ceremony, graced by the presence of Ankit Dalal, Dev Patel – Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, Geet Sethi – professional billiard player, and Grandmasters Viswanathan Anand and Tejas Bakre. 

GM Viswanathan Anand and Geet Sethi made the first symbolic move of the event. 

The live broadcast can be accessed here:

Open section: 
live.aicf.in/worldjunior2024/open/index.html 

Girl section: 
live.aicf.in/worldjunior2024/girls/index.html

Photos: Sarangam Production

The organizer of the FIDE World Junior Under 20 Championships has extended the registration period for the participants. The competition will take place in Gandhinagar, state of Gujarat, India, from June 1-14, 2024.  

Entry forms should be filled by the National Federations and returned to the Organizing Committee no later than May 10. All federations must use the official registration form provided by the Organizers.

All participants applying for a visa shall provide the copy of the passport by the same deadline: May 10.

Each National Federation can enter one player born on or after January 1 2004 in each of two categories – Open and Girls, with a maximum of two invited players and send as many additional players as they wish.

Players with personal rights, according to FIDE rules, will also be accepted as invited players:

• Top 3 players of the previous edition of FIDE World Junior Championships.
• The Continental Junior Champions of the year preceding this edition. If a Continent did not organize a Continental Junior Championship, then the Continental U18 Champions of the year preceding this edition.
• The first three players in the starting list of both the Open and Girls tournaments, using the current rating list when the tournament starts.
• World Youth U18 and U16 champions of the year preceding this edition.

FIDE World Junior Championships 2024 official website: worldjunior2024.fide.com

Official email: worldjunior@fide.com

Regulations and invitation letter (pdf)

FIDE and the International School Sport Federation (ISF) invite all eligible players and FIDE Member Federations to participate in the ISF Gymnasiade 2024. The event will take place in Manama, Bahrain, from October 23 to 31, 2024.

Chess has been included in the Gymnasiade program for the second consecutive time, following its debut in the U15 Gymnasiade 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The event is open to full-time students born between 2006 and 2011. These students should be enrolled in schools that offer general education or vocational education with elements of general education. There are no restrictions on the number of students from the same school or country.

During the eight-day competition a range of various activities from inspiring workshops to seminars will be offered. This provides students and teachers with a unique opportunity to interact with peers from all around the world.

The registration deadline is June 23.

Official website: events.isfsports.org/isf-gymnasiade-bahrain-2024/

General Information (pdf)

Rules and Regulations (pdf)

About the ISF Gymnasiade

The Gymnasiade is an international multi-sport event organized by the ISF. As the world’s largest school sports event, it serves as a global congress for schoolchildren actively involved in sports, with a strong emphasis on social and educational aspects.