Almaty hosted a chess match unlike any before.
For the first time, Kazakhstan's national youth teams faced the World Teams, bringing together some of the strongest young chess players from across the globe. The experiment proved a success: Kazakhstan's boys defeated the World Team in both rapid and blitz, while the girls pushed the reigning world champions to the limit. Organizers say the event has already become one of the highlights of the international youth chess calendar, DKNews.kz reports.
Almaty Hosts a Historic Chess Showdown
The Kazakhstan vs. World match was held alongside the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship.
Kazakhstan's top young players competed against a World Team featuring elite talents from multiple countries across six age categories — U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18. The competition featured rapid chess on the first day and blitz on the second.
The total prize fund reached 15 million tenge.
Each team consisted of six players, with one representative in every age category.
Kazakhstan's Boys Prove They Belong Among the World's Best
The biggest headline of the tournament came from the Kazakhstan Boys Team.
The home side claimed victory in rapid chess 14.5–9.5, before confirming its superiority in blitz with a convincing 27.5–20.5 win.
First Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Darmen Sadvakasov admitted that organizing such a match was a bold decision, but one the team was ready for.
"As you know, our national youth team has been the strongest in the world over the past two years, so we decided to take a risk and challenge the World Team. It was certainly a bold move. But because we truly are among the world's best, we believed we had every chance of succeeding. Our players delivered. This event, held alongside the World University Team Championship, became one of the highlights of the entire tournament."
Kazakhstan's boys' and girls' teams were captained by Grandmaster Boris Grachev, head coach of the country's national youth program.
Kazakhstan's Standout Performers
The team's leading scorers in the rapid event were:
- Edgar Mamedov (U18) — 3.5 points
- Sauat Nurgaliyev (U16) — 3.5
- Alimzhan Zhauynbai (U12) — 3
- Mark Smirnov (U14) — 2
- Aslan Yendibayev (U8) — 1.5
- Rizat Ulan (U10) — 1
In blitz, Kazakhstan's top performers were:
- Edgar Mamedov — 6 points
- Alimzhan Zhauynbai — 5
- Sauat Nurgaliyev — 4.5
- Mark Smirnov — 4
- Rizat Ulan — 3.5
- Aslan Yendibayev — 2.5
Reserve player Danis Kuandykuly also contributed two valuable points.
Kazakhstan's Girls Challenge the World's Champions
The girls' competition proved just as entertaining.
The World Girls Team won both the rapid match (18–6) and the blitz encounter (27–21), but many boards remained closely contested until the final rounds.
The World Team included several reigning 2026 World Champions, making the challenge even greater for the Kazakh players.
Kazakhstan's strongest performances came from:
- Alanna Berikkyzy — 6.5 points
- Yelnaz Kaliakhmet — 5
- Venera Zhakisheva — 5
- Zarina Nurgaliyeva — 3
"Friendship Was the Real Winner"
FIDE Special Tasks Director and President of the Georgian Chess Federation Akaki Iashvili praised both the quality of the event and Kazakhstan's remarkable progress in youth chess.
"The match was exciting, but more importantly, it demonstrated how rapidly and confidently chess is developing in Kazakhstan. No other federation has ever organized a match between its national youth team and a World Team because very few countries possess such a strong generation of young players. I believe this is a landmark event for the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and for the country as a whole. The competition was intense. Kazakhstan's boys defeated the World Team — an outstanding achievement. The girls also performed admirably, although the World Team proved slightly stronger. It included the 2026 world champions, so the level of opposition was exceptionally high. Even so, the contest remained balanced until the very end. In the end, I would say that friendship was the real winner."
Years of Investment Are Paying Off
Kazakhstan Chess Federation Executive Director Gulmira Dauletova said the results reflect years of systematic work with young talents.
"I would like to thank our young players and the coaching staff of the national youth team, who invested tremendous effort in preparing for this match. Special thanks go to Kazakhstan Chess Federation President Timur Turlov, who believes in our children and consistently supports the development of young talent. Since 2023, his initiative has provided annual scholarship support for 34 children through the Gold and Silver grant packages. Thanks to the work of our coaching staff and the Federation's support, our young chess players have been able to achieve their very best results."
She noted that long-term investment in youth development is already translating into international success and stronger performances against the world's elite.
Why This Match Matters
The Kazakhstan vs. World match was far more than an exhibition event.
Kazakhstan became the first country to organize a head-to-head contest between its national youth team and a combined World Team. That alone reflects the country's growing influence in international chess.
The boys' victories and the girls' highly competitive performances demonstrate that Kazakhstan is no longer an emerging chess nation — it has become one of the world's leading forces in youth chess.
