Shymbulak Summer Blitz: Midway Madness in the Mountains

Perched over 2,000 meters above sea level near the ski resort of Shymbulak, just outside Almaty, the Shymbulak Summer Blitz tournament is in full swing.

Featuring a double round-robin format, eight top players — both international stars and Kazakhstan’s finest — are battling it out in a high-altitude blitz chess showdown, DKnews.kz reports.

 KazChess

The tournament officially kicked off at noon on August 3, 2025, in front of the “Edelweiss” coworking center (Almaty, Khan Kerey and Zhanibek Street, 640a). Organized by KazChess (Kazakhstan Chess Federation) in partnership with the Shymbulak resort administration, this unique event brings together grandmasters from around the world and top local talent in a thrilling blitz competition.

 KazChess

Participants (with blitz ratings and world rankings as of August 1, 2025):

1. GM Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran) – 2701, World No. 28
2. GM Alexander Grischuk (FIDE) – 2686, World No. 32
3. GM Volodar Murzin (FIDE) – 2654, World No. 49
4. GM Narayanan Sunilduth Lyna (India) – 2641, World No. 65
5. GM Denis Makhnev – 2517
6. IM Aldiyar Ansat – 2493
7. IM Daniyal Sapenov – 2462 (replacing GM Kazybek Nogerbek, who had to withdraw due to urgent—but happy—family matters)
8. IM Meruert Kamalidenova – 2290

Just the day before, Ansat and Sapenov had impressive showings in the 2nd stage of the Almaty Blitz Cup 2025. Ansat narrowly missed first place on tiebreaks, while Sapenov secured 8th — quite a feat considering the strength of the field, many of whom are also set to play in the Almaty Region Open – Qonaev Cup 2025, the final leg of the Kazakhstan Cup.

 KazChess

Tournament Format:

Double round-robin with blitz time control: 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move. Player pairings were determined by drawing lots:

1. Murzin, 2. Sapenov, 3. Ansat, 4. Makhnev, 5. Grischuk, 6. Narayanan, 7. Kamalidenova, 8. Maghsoodloo. In the second round-robin cycle, colors are reversed.

Despite celebrating her 20th birthday on day one, Meruert Kamalidenova wasn’t given any gifts on the board — she only scored her first half-point in round 4, holding three-time Blitz World Champion Alexander Grischuk to a draw with the black pieces. She then drew Narayanan and later defeated Sapenov, climbing off the bottom of the table.

 KazChess

Meanwhile, the “Iranian Kasparov” Parham Maghsoodloo lived up to his nickname, steadily dominating the first half of the event. However, 19-year-old Volodar Murzin — 2024 World Rapid Champion and Blitz World Championship quarterfinalist — kept pace. Kazakhstan’s own Aldiyar Ansat also remained close, while Denis Makhnev proved to be the dividing line: defeating everyone below him and losing to those above.

Standings after 7 Rounds (First Half):

1. GM Parham Maghsoodloo (2701, Iran) – 6 points
2. GM Volodar Murzin (2654, FIDE) – 5 points
3. IM Aldiyar Ansat (2493, Kazakhstan) – 4 points
4. GM Denis Makhnev (2517, Kazakhstan) – 4 points
5. GM Alexander Grischuk (2686, Russia) – 3 points
6. GM Narayanan Sunilduth Lyna (2641, India) – 2½ points
7. IM Meruert Kamalidenova (2290, Kazakhstan) – 2 points
8. IM Daniyal Sapenov (2462, Kazakhstan) – 1½ points

But the second half brought surprises. In Round 8, Makhnev — with the black pieces — sprung a tactical trap that led Maghsoodloo’s king into a mating net. Then Grischuk, also with black, beat the leader in a race of passed pawns. Murzin only added half a point in the next two rounds, and suddenly we had a three-way tie at the top: Maghsoodloo, Ansat, and Makhnev.

 KazChess

Maghsoodloo bounced back with three consecutive wins, only to be stopped again — this time by Sapenov. Heading into the final round, Maghsoodloo led with 9 points, with Ansat and Makhnev just a point behind. Crucially, Ansat was paired with the leader and had White, while Makhnev faced Grischuk, also with Black. Both veterans prevailed — Maghsoodloo edged out Ansat, and Grischuk defeated Makhnev, climbing from 4th to 2nd place.

 KazChess

Somehow, from the shadows, Volodar Murzin snatched third place thanks to a superior Sonneborn-Berger tiebreak, pushing both Ansat and Makhnev off the podium.

What a rollercoaster of a tournament!

Final Standings (after 14 rounds):

1. GM Parham Maghsoodloo (2701, Iran) – 10 points
2. GM Alexander Grischuk (2686, Russia) – 8½ points
3. GM Volodar Murzin (2654, FIDE) – 8 points
4. IM Aldiyar Ansat (2493, Kazakhstan) – 8 points
5. GM Denis Makhnev (2517, Kazakhstan) – 8 points
6. IM Daniyal Sapenov (2462, Kazakhstan) – 5½ points
7. GM Narayanan Sunilduth Lyna (2641, India) – 5½ points
8. IM Meruert Kamalidenova (2290, Kazakhstan) – 2½ points

 KazChess

Prize Fund: $8,500:

• 1st – Parham Maghsoodloo: $2,500
• 2nd – Alexander Grischuk: $2,000
• 3rd – Volodar Murzin: $1,500
• 4th – Aldiyar Ansat: $1,200
• 5th – Denis Makhnev: $800
• 6th – Daniyal Sapenov: $500