The 2026 World Youth Chess Championship for boys and girls in the U14, U16 and U18 age categories has begun in Montesilvano, Italy. From June 15 to 26, one of FIDE’s key youth events is being held at the Pala Dean Martin congress center, located in a resort town on the Adriatic coast.
This year, the championship has brought together 790 young chess players from 87 countries and territories. The scale of the tournament is impressive: among the participants are 2 grandmasters, 24 international masters, 1 woman grandmaster and 14 woman international masters. This is no longer just a competition for promising children and teenagers - it is a full-scale global chess arena where many players already have serious titles, ratings and international experience.
For Kazakhstan, this championship has special significance. The country is represented by one of the largest delegations at the tournament - 35 athletes from KazChess / Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Only the host nation Italy, with 64 players, and the United States, with 40 players, have larger delegations. For comparison, FIDE / Russia is represented by 31 participants, Germany by 27, Chinese Taipei by 25 and Norway by 19.
In other words, Kazakhstan has not come to Montesilvano simply to take part. The team looks deep, strong and ambitious.
How the World Championship will be held
The participants will play 11 rounds under the Swiss system with classical time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
The rounds begin at 3:00 p.m. local time. In Kazakhstan, that is 6:00 p.m., making it convenient for fans back home to follow the games. A rest day is scheduled for June 21, while the decisive games will come toward the end of the tournament, when the fight for medals becomes especially intense.
The Swiss system makes a championship like this highly unpredictable. A good start alone is not enough. Players must survive the full distance, recover after difficult games, avoid relaxing after victories and prove their level at the board every single day.
Kazakhstan has brought a team full of big names
Kazakhstan’s lineup at this World Championship looks especially interesting. It includes young leaders who are already well known, as well as players for whom Montesilvano could become the starting point of a major breakthrough.
Personal invitations from FIDE were given to last year’s world champions Danis Kuandykuly in O12, Mark Smirnov in O14 and Edgar Mamedov in O16. Invitations were also received by O16 world vice-champion Sauat Nurgaliyev and 2025 Asian champion Maria Kholyavko in G14.
As 2026 champions of Kazakhstan, Akerke Moldagali and Maksat Baysalbekov are competing in U14, Assiya Assylkhan and Nazar Talgat in U16, and Maria Kholyavko and Alan Petukhov in U18. As winners of the 2025 Kazakhstan Children’s Cup, Aldiyar Zharas and Medina Zhakenova are competing in U14.
Another important detail is that the team includes players who have already won Kazakhstan’s adult national championships. Elnaz Kaliakhmet won in 2025, while Zarina Nurgaliyeva and Sauat Nurgaliyev became national champions in 2026. This matters: some of Kazakhstan’s participants have already been tested not only in youth events, but also in senior competitions.
Who is representing Kazakhstan
In the G14 category, Kazakhstan is represented by WFM Alanna Berikkyzy, rated 2182; Aknur Mamakova, 2055; Dalia Diaskyzy, 1848; WFM Khanzada Amanzhol, 1827; WCM Akerke Moldagali, 1805; WCM Adiya Zhenis, 1788; Alima Omirserik, 1771; and Medina Zhakenova, 1699.
The O14 lineup is also very strong: IM Mark Smirnov, 2436; FM Alisher Absattar, 2429; FM Danis Kuandykuly, 2417; CM Aldiyar Zharas, 2180; CM Suleiman Akhmet, 2109; and Maksat Baysalbekov, 2053.
In G16, Kazakhstan is represented by WIM Elnaz Kaliakhmet, 2326; WFM Maria Kholyavko, 2226; WFM Ayaru Altynbek, 2114; Assiya Assylkhan, 2006; and Malika Dzhapparbekova, 1977.
In O16, the Kazakhstani lineup includes IM Sauat Nurgaliyev, 2490; FM Nazar Talgat, 2365; FM Aldiyar Zhauynbay, 2318; CM Samir Syzdyk, 2256; Adizhan Yessengali, 2250; and FM Dinmukhammed Tulendinov, 2249.
In G18, Kazakhstan is represented by WIM Zarina Nurgaliyeva, 2312, and WFM Zhaniya Nauanova, 2039.
In the oldest O18 category, Kazakhstan’s players are GM Edgar Mamedov, 2464; FM Miras Assylov, 2409; FM Alan Petukhov, 2308; FM Asman Bayantas, 2263; FM Sultanbeibarys Dumanuly, 2257; FM Alikhan Daulet, 2228; Beibars Sultanbek, 2125; and Altair Adilbekuly, 2105.
This list shows the most important thing: Kazakhstan’s strength is not limited to one age group. The team is widely represented - from U14 to U18, among both girls and boys, with players who have international titles and experience competing at a high level.
The main Kazakhstani storylines of the tournament
One of the most notable names in the team is Sauat Nurgaliyev. The international master, rated 2490, is competing in the O16 category and is among the strongest members of Kazakhstan’s delegation. His path is especially interesting because he already has experience fighting for world titles and won Kazakhstan’s adult national championship in 2026.
In O18, attention will be focused on Edgar Mamedov. He is listed as a grandmaster with a rating of 2464 and received a personal invitation from FIDE as last year’s world champion in O16. For a youth world championship, the presence of a grandmaster in the field is itself a sign of the tournament’s level.
Kazakhstan’s O14 group is extremely strong. Mark Smirnov, Alisher Absattar and Danis Kuandykuly all have ratings above 2400. That kind of density is rare even at a major international event. Smirnov and Kuandykuly have already won world titles, which means opponents will be paying special attention to them.
There are plenty of strong storylines among the girls as well. In G16, Elnaz Kaliakhmet has a rating of 2326 and has already won Kazakhstan’s adult national championship. In G18, Zarina Nurgaliyeva has also won the senior national title. Maria Kholyavko arrives in Italy not only as a champion of Kazakhstan, but also as the 2025 Asian champion.
All of this makes Kazakhstan’s participation in Montesilvano one of the most interesting events for national chess fans in recent years.
Why this championship matters for Kazakhstan
The World Youth Championship is not only a fight for medals. For Kazakhstan, it is also a test of the entire chess system: children’s schools, coaching work, internal competition, selection, preparation and the psychological resilience of young players.
In recent years, Kazakhstani chess has grown noticeably in the youth segment. Victories and medals at international tournaments no longer look like isolated successes. A whole generation is entering the global stage - players who are used not just to participating, but to fighting for first place.
It is also important that the team includes highly rated players across different age categories. This shows the depth of the reserve. If earlier successes were often associated with individual talents, Kazakhstan now looks like a country with a full-fledged youth chess system.
Montesilvano is already familiar to Kazakhstani chess players
Montesilvano has become a well-known place in world youth chess. In 2023, it hosted the World Youth Championship in the U14, U16 and U18 categories, and in 2024 it hosted the World Cadet Championship for U8, U10 and U12 players.
The town itself is located on the Adriatic coast, near Pescara, the capital of the province of the same name in the Abruzzo region. The venue, the Pala Dean Martin congress center, is named after the famous American singer and actor Dean Martin. His father, Gaetano Crocetti, was born in Montesilvano.
This detail gives the tournament a special atmosphere. On the one hand, there is serious chess competition. On the other, there is an Italian resort town, the sea, summer and the feeling of a major international celebration. But at the chessboard, all that romance quickly disappears: only the position, calculation and nerves remain.
A separate chess solving championship will also be held
In addition to the classical World Championship, Montesilvano will host the 2nd World Youth Chess Solving Championship 2026 on June 16. It will also be held in the U14, U16 and U18 categories.
Participants will have 90 minutes to solve chess problems. The best boys and girls in each of the three categories will be crowned winners. This is a separate branch of chess, where the key is not tournament battle over the board, but pure calculation accuracy, imagination and the ability to find hidden ideas in a position.
For young chess players, this format can be just as useful as classical games. It develops depth of thinking and helps them see chess not only as a sport, but also as the art of finding the exact solution.
A long road lies ahead, with the fight lasting until the final round
The World Championship in Montesilvano has only just begun, but it is already clear that for Kazakhstan this is one of the most important youth chess events of the year. Thirty-five participants, high ratings, titles, personal invitations from FIDE and experience of winning on the international stage - all of this creates major expectations.
But youth tournaments rarely follow a script written in advance. Favorites can drop points, dark horses can suddenly move ahead, and the fate of medals is often decided in the final round.
Kazakhstan’s team has arrived in Italy with serious ambitions. Now everything will depend on who can withstand 11 rounds, maintain concentration and play their best games at the moments when they matter most.
Montesilvano is once again welcoming the future stars of world chess. And Kazakhstan has every reason to expect bright news from this championship.
