On 13 December 2025, the first-ever chess championship of the Turkic-speaking countries, organized under the auspices of the Union of Turkic-speaking Countries, ended in Türkiye. The competition was held at the Museen Hercul Scientific Center in Gaziantep and brought together the leading chess players of the region.
The championship was held in the under-16 age category, which was an important step in the development of youth chess.
The championship was attended by the national teams of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as three teams from Türkiye — Türkiye 1, Türkiye 2 and Türkiye – Gaziantep. The tournament has become an important platform for strengthening sports and cultural ties between the Turkic-speaking countries.
According to the results of the championship, the first place was taken by the national team of Azerbaijan, the second place (in terms of additional indicators) — by the team of Uzbekistan, the third — by Türkiye 1. The national team of Turkmenistan finished in fifth place. Turkmen chess players Gurbanmyrat Rustemov and Myakhri Agamyradova made a significant contribution to the team’s performance. Following the results of the tournament, Gurbanmyrat Rustemov increased his international rating by 73.6 points.
A meeting of the heads of chess federations of the Turkic-speaking countries was also held on the sidelines of the championship, dedicated to the issues of institutional development and prospects for the creation of a Turkic Chess Association. During the discussions, issues of expanding cooperation, organizing joint tournaments and implementing programs for the development of chess in the region were explored.
The General Assembly was attended by distinguished guests:
• Dr. Mirvokhid Azimov, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States;
• Mr. Mustafa Barish Ozturk, Head of the Department for Relations with International Organizations of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye.
The first chess championship of the Turkic-speaking countries became a significant step towards consolidating the chess community and contributed to the further development of interstate cooperation within the framework of the Turkic world. ///Chess Federation of Turkmenistan