On February 16, the 2026 Kazakhstan Junior U20 Chess Championship began in Zhezkazgan. The tournament is being held across all time controls — classical, rapid, and blitz — and will run through February 22, DKNews.kz reports.
The competition is taking place at the Zhiger Sports and Wellness Complex in the administrative center of the Ulytau Region.
Continuation of the chess season
The U20 championship has become a logical continuation of the January tournaments held in Turkistan, where the country’s best young players aged 6 to 18 were determined.
In the senior youth category, the winners were:
- 16-year-old Alan Petukhov
- 14-year-old Maria Kholyavko
They faced strong competition from:
- Aiaru Altynbek
- Artyom Bogdanov
- Inayat Bolat
In the faster formats, the list of leaders expanded to include more experienced players such as Aldiyar Ansat, Daniyal Sapenov, Ergali Suleimen, Mark Smirnov, and others.
Main tournament favorites
Among the boys, one of the leading contenders for the title is International Master Satbek Akhmedinov, rated 2381.
He previously:
- Finished second at the FIDE Asian Zonal Championship
- Competed at the FIDE World Cup in Goa
Other medal contenders include:
- FM Ernur Amangeldy
- FM Aldiyar Zhauynbay
- Vladislav Malygin
- FM Asman Bayantas
Strong lineup in the girls’ field
In the girls’ competition, the defending champion is Asiya Asylkhan from the Turkistan Region.
Her main rivals include:
- Zhanbota Kamarova
- WFM Zhanya Nauranova
- WFM Maria Kholyavko, the reigning national U18 champion
At the same time, the list of medal contenders remains considerably broader.
Qualification spots at stake
The tournament carries significant importance for the future careers of young chess players.
Winners in the classical format will receive:
- The right to compete in the finals of the Kazakhstan Adult Championship
- Qualification spots for the World Junior U20 Championship
The world championship is scheduled to take place in September in Lima, the capital of Peru.
Players finishing in second place will qualify to represent Kazakhstan at the Asian Championship.
Prize fund and tournament format
The total prize fund amounts to 2.4 million tenge.
In the classical event, prizes are:
- 270,000 tenge for first place
- 210,000 tenge for second place
- 120,000 tenge for third place
In rapid and blitz, prizes for the top three are:
- 150,000 tenge
- 100,000 tenge
- 50,000 tenge
The tournament is being played under the Swiss system over nine rounds.
Schedule:
- February 16–20 — classical (60+30 time control)
- February 21 — rapid (10+5)
- February 22 — blitz (3+2)
