From 17 to 22 March, the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School hosted the qualifying tournament for the first-ever U16 Chess Olympiad among Turkic nations for boys and girls.
The competition brought together 49 young chess players from various regions of the country. Notably, children from younger categories (U12 and U14) successfully fought their way into the U16 team. This reflects the high level of play in the younger age groups—a direct result of the intensive efforts to develop youth chess initiated by the Federation’s new leadership in 2022. The tournament followed a 9-round Swiss system with a time control of 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.
The top contenders demonstrated high levels of preparation and a tense struggle for spots on the national team. Based on the tournament results, the top positions were distributed as follows:
- Ahmedov Ali (Ashgabat, born 2012, Grade 7 student at School No. 49) — 7 points out of 9;
- Artykov Ahmet (Mary Province, born 2011, Grade 9 student at the Mary specialized regional school with advanced study of English and humanities) — 7 points out of 9;
- Rustemov Gurbanmyrat (Lebap Province, born 2010, Grade 10 student at School No. 41) — 6.5 points out of 9;
- Hupbyeva Dilber (Dashoguz Province, born 2014, Grade 6 student at School No. 7) — 6.5 points out of 9. She became the sensation of the tournament, delivering an excellent performance in the open category to secure fourth place.
- Iminova Zalina (Ashgabat, born 2014, Grade 10 student at School No. 16) — 6.5 points out of 9.
Detailed tournament results are available at: https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1371033.aspx?lan=11&art=1&rd=9&SNode=S0
Following the qualifiers, the Turkmenistan national team has been formed, consisting of the top four players of the tournament and the top-ranked girl, Zalina Iminova.
These five players will represent the country at the historic first U16 Chess Olympiad among Turkic nations, which will take place from 13 to 18 May in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. The event is expected to feature the strongest young players from Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.
During the same dates, Almaty will host tournaments for adult teams (for which our national teams are also preparing). These events will serve as vital preparation for the upcoming Olympiad in Samarkand.
Currently, the process of establishing the Turkic Chess Association (TCA) is underway, with Turkmenistan among its founding members.
The Memorandum on the establishment of the Association was signed on 20 October 2025 in Astana. The TCA Presidium meeting was held on 13 December 2025 in Gaziantep, Turkey, held alongside the first-ever U16 chess championship for Turkic-speaking countries.
For Turkmenistan, membership in the TCA opens doors to regular joint tournaments, expanding the competitive calendar and providing players with more high-level practice. This will facilitate skill advancement and FIDE rating growth. For instance, following the Gaziantep tournament, Turkmen chess player Gurbanmyrat Rustemov increased his rating by 73.6 points. /// Chess Federation of Turkmenistan