The final of the 2026 Kazakhstan National Chess Championship in classical format has started in Astana, where players are competing not only for medals and prize money, but also for places in the men’s and women’s national teams ahead of the Chess Olympiad, DKNews.kz reports.
The tournament runs from May 2 to May 12 at Coventry University Kazakhstan in two categories — Open and Women.
Format and participants
Each category features 14 players competing in a round-robin format over 13 rounds.
The time control is classical: 90 minutes per game with a 30-second increment per move starting from move one.
“Supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, we are raising the status of the Championship. The national final is a starting point for players, and we aim to bring together as many of Kazakhstan’s strongest players as possible. Both national team members and young talents are competing here, which makes the tournament especially interesting. The only exception is that players ranked in the top 50 in the women’s world rankings are not participating. That is why Bibisara Assaubayeva and Alua Nurman are not playing. Both are currently in the world top 50, with Bibisara ranked 7th and Alua 26th. I believe it will be particularly interesting to follow the younger players — there could be some surprises,” said Kazakhstan Chess Federation First Vice President Darmen Sadvakassov at the opening ceremony.
Full list of participants (Open)
According to Elo ratings as of May 1, the Open category includes:
- GM Denis Makhnev (2558, Pavlodar) – 2nd place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- GM Kazibek Nogerbek (2525, Astana) – 1st place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- GM Alisher Suleimenov (2507, Pavlodar) – KCF nominee
- IM Aldiyar Ansat (2488, Astana) – 3rd place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- IM Zhandos Agmanov (2473, Astana) – 4th place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- GM Edgar Mamedov (2470, Aktau) – KCF nominee
- IM Sauat Nurgaliyev (2464, Astana) – KCF nominee
- GM Ramazan Zhalmakhanov (2464, Almaty) – 2nd place, semifinal 2026
- IM Daniyal Sapenov (2458, Almaty) – 5th place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- IM Yergali Suleimen (2396, Astana) – KCF nominee
- IM Satbek Akhmedinov (2331, Astana) – KCF nominee
- FM Zhangir Bizhigitov (2288, Almaty) – 3rd place, semifinal 2026
- FM Dinmukhammed Tulendinov (2283, Almaty) – 1st place, semifinal 2026
- Vladislav Malygin (2187, Pavlodar) – Kazakhstan U20 Champion 2026
From the original list, FM Alan Petukhov (2308, Aktobe), Kazakhstan U18 Champion 2026, withdrew due to family reasons.
Full list of participants (Women)
The Women’s category includes:
- IM Meruert Kamalidenova (2389, Astana) – 3rd place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- WGM Amina Kairbekova (2374, Astana) – KCF nominee
- WGM Ksenia Balabaeva (2355, Almaty) – 4th place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- WGM Liya Kurmangaliyeva (2346, Almaty) – KCF nominee
- WIM Yelnaz Kaliakhmet (2314, Almaty) – 1st place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- WIM Zarina Nurgaliyeva (2279, Atyrau/Almaty) – 2nd place, Kazakhstan Championship 2025
- WIM Assel Serikbay (2240, Kyzylorda) – KCF nominee
- WFM Aiaru Altynbek (2216, Astana) – 1st place, semifinal 2026
- WFM Maria Kholyavko (2202, Almaty) – Kazakhstan U18 Champion 2026
- WFM Alanna Berikkyzy (2142) – KCF nominee
- WIM Ayaulym Kaldarova (2105, Shymkent) – KCF nominee
- Zhanbota Kamarova (2083, Astana) – Kazakhstan U20 Champion 2026
- Aknur Mamakova (2069, Astana) – 2nd place, semifinal 2026
- Asiya Asylkhan (1999, Turkestan) – KCF nominee
From the original lineup, WGM Madina Davletbayeva (2197, Taraz) withdrew due to family reasons, and IM Alua Nurman (2443, Astana), 5th place in the 2025 championship, is not participating as she is ranked in the FIDE Top 50 (26th as of May 1).
Youth factor adds intrigue
The tournament stands out for its strong presence of young players.
In the Open section, the oldest participants are 26 years old, while the youngest — Tulendinov, Nurgaliyev and Mamedov — are just 15.
In the Women’s section, the gap is even more pronounced:
- oldest player — 24 years old
- youngest players — 12 to 14 years old
This reflects a generational shift in Kazakhstan’s chess landscape.
Prize fund and stakes
The total prize fund amounts to 20 million tenge.
Prize distribution per category:
- ₸3 million — 1st place
- ₸2.2 million — 2nd place
- ₸1.5 million — 3rd place
- ₸1.2 million — 4th place
- ₸900,000 — 5th place
- ₸700,000 — 6th place
- ₸500,000 — 7th place
Road to the Chess Olympiad
The results of the championship will be used by the Coaching Council and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Presidium to form the national teams.
Selected players will represent Kazakhstan at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, this September.
Why this matters
The championship is not only a national competition but also a key этап отбора for international representation.
It highlights:
- growing depth of Kazakhstan’s chess talent
- strong competition between generations
- increasing international ambitions
The Astana final will play a decisive role in shaping the country’s lineup for one of the most important events in world chess.
