Kazakh Chess Players Win Four Individual Medals at World Team Championship in London, DKnews.kz reports.
Kazakhstani chess players earned four individual medals at the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship in London! Silver medals were claimed by Meruert Kamalidenova and Islam Ayten, while bronze went to Rinat Jumabayev and 10-year-old Suleimen Nurakyn.
Kazakhstan was represented by three teams: KazChess, Barys.kz, and Rookies.
The leader of Barys.kz, Kazybek Nogerbek, scored 8 out of 12 on the top board, delivering a solid performance against some of the world's strongest grandmasters. Another standout on the team was the young Suleimen Nurakyn, not yet 11 years old, who scored an impressive 8.5 out of 12. Notably, Denis Makhnev defeated Leinier Dominguez Perez (rating 2708), a star of the Hexamind Chess Team.
KazChess made a significant contribution to the medal tally: Meruert Kamalidenova won silver on the women’s board, and Islam Ayten took silver on the amateur board. The Rookies team also held their own against squads composed of titled players. For example, the 2025 U18 World Champion in rapid and blitz, Yergali Suleymen (rating 2336), defeated seasoned Hungarian Csaba Balogh (2609) of Team Hungary.
The 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships are being held in London from June 10 to 16. This is the third edition of the tournament, following Germany in 2023 and Kazakhstan’s capital Astana in 2024. This year, 52 teams have gathered in the UK capital. The rapid games followed a 15+10 time control across six boards, including mandatory boards for one female player and one amateur (under 2000 FIDE rating).
The title went to Team MGD1 from India, who swept all opponents on Day 3 and edged out the top international squad, Hexamind Chess Team. The bronze medal went to Freedom, a team that featured former World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
The tournament now transitions to the blitz format. KazChess and Barys.kz will compete in Group D, while Rookies are placed in Group C. Their opponents include the rapid champions, as well as strong contenders from Uzbekistan and Germany.
