On August 19, 2020, the 2026 Kids Expo Chess Cup international chess tournament opened as part of the "Kids EXPO: Everything for Children" international exhibition and fair in Ashgabat. Held from August 19-20 at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan, the competition was a true test of intellect and speed. Organized jointly with international organizations, the tournament brought together 94 young chess players from eight countries, who excelled in rapid chess and blitz chess.
During the international tournament, participants competed for 12 sets of medals in the 8, 10 and 12 age categories (U8, U10 and U12). A total of 36 medals were won by athletes from five countries. In the team competition, the young chess players from Turkmenistan achieved a resounding victory, winning 24 medals out of a possible 36.
The main achievement of the competition was the high level of preparation of the leaders. Three athletes became absolute champions in their age categories in both rapid and blitz.
In the older age group (U12) among girls, Dilber Hupbyyeva from Turkmenistan left no chance for her opponents, taking first place.
Iran's Kiasha Mahboobi (U10) showed patience in all games and won gold medals in both disciplines.
Another Iranian chess player, Sadra Roshantab, demonstrated excellent skills in the boys' U12 competition, winning gold medals in rapid and blitz.
Young representatives of the Turkmen chess school also performed well at this tournament.
The boys' U8 competition was very interesting. In this category, our athlete Begmyrat Agamammedov won the gold medal in blitz, while Kazakhstan's Zakaria Amirov won the rapid chess. In the girls' U8 rapid chess competition, all three prizes were taken by Turkmen players Lachyn Isayeva, Bahar Jumayeva and Chinar Pirkulyyeva.
A special highlight of the high-level Kids Expo-Chess Cup tournament was the presence of foreign guests who presented prizes to the winners. The medalists were congratulated by Alina Dvoretskaya, Director General of the International School Chess Federation (ISCF); Darmen Sadvakasov, First Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation; Vepa Malikgulyyev, Chairman of the Turkmenistan Chess Federation; Sami Khader, representative of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the heads of the chess federations of Egypt, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Pakistan, Tunisia, Syria and Libya.
The Turkmen Sporty Newspaper
