Kazakhstan’s women remain unbeaten.
After six rounds and six consecutive victories, the national team has reached a pivotal stage of the Chess Olympiad, with tournament leader China next on the schedule, DKNews.kz reports.
On September 22, the only rest day of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Kazakhstan Chess Federation President Timur Turlov and Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan Yeraly Tugzhanov met with the country’s men’s and women’s national teams.
The meeting was reported by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Tugzhanov serves as Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan, according to the official website of the Kazakh Embassy.
Six straight wins set up Kazakhstan-China showdown
Kazakhstan’s women have won all six of their opening matches and collected the maximum 12 match points.
China also has 12 points but leads Kazakhstan on tiebreak criteria.
In Round 6, Kazakhstan defeated Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5. According to FIDE, Alua Nurman delivered the decisive point by beating Gunay Mammadzada.
The two teams with perfect match-point records will now meet directly on September 23, making Kazakhstan vs China one of the biggest encounters of Round 7.
Ahead of the decisive part of the Olympiad, Ambassador Yeraly Tugzhanov highlighted both the scale of the event and the growing attention surrounding Kazakhstan’s players.
“This is a historic event. A Chess Olympiad of this scale, with representatives from almost 200 countries, is being held in Central Asia for the first time. There are a great many guests and participants here. I would like to thank the organizers — everything has been organized at a very high level. I can see how much attention is focused on the Kazakhstan national team. This shows that Kazakh chess holds a worthy place in the world today. We believe in our players, and I am confident that our team will achieve a strong result,” Tugzhanov said.
The Olympiad is being held in Samarkand from September 15 to 27 and features 11 rounds, with September 22 designated as the tournament’s sole rest day.
Turlov tells players: “Believe in yourselves”
Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, praised the teams’ performances in the sixth round and urged the players to maintain their confidence heading into the second half of the competition.
“Yesterday was a very good day for our team and brought us important victories. You produced outstanding performances against very strong opponents. I hope there are many more great games ahead of you. Remember that we are always with you. Believe in yourselves and in your victory,” Turlov told the players.
He also said the national team’s results could serve as an inspiration for children who are just beginning to play chess across Kazakhstan.
“We care about you deeply and will stand by you in any situation. We believe you are capable of truly great achievements. Your success will become a huge source of inspiration for young chess players who are only now joining chess clubs across the country. Through chess, they can see the world, gain new opportunities and reach great heights. You are already, without question, part of the world chess elite,” Turlov said.
Kazakhstan entered the Olympiad as one of the higher-seeded teams in the women’s competition. As DKNews.kz reported before the tournament, the team arrived in Samarkand after winning silver at the previous Olympiad in Budapest.
Kazakhstan coach warns of mounting pressure
Kazakhstan national teams head coach Pavel Kotsur said the women’s strong position brings additional pressure as the tournament approaches its decisive rounds.
“We are now very close to the very top, so there is double responsibility on the fragile shoulders of our girls. There are two new, younger players in the team. Very serious opponents are ahead, so the girls need to maintain maximum concentration. At the same time, the atmosphere within the team is simply excellent,” Kotsur said.
Their next opponent underlines the scale of the challenge.
China has also gone through the first six rounds without dropping a match point and defeated Poland 3.5-0.5 in Round 6.
In its Round 6 review, FIDE highlighted Kazakhstan vs China as one of the headline pairings of the next round in the women’s competition.
Kazakhstan’s men draw Serbia next
Kazakhstan’s men also remain in contention after a convincing 3.5-0.5 victory over Colombia in Round 6.
Anuar Ismagambetov, captain and coach of the men’s national team, said the squad has undergone a major generational renewal, with more than half of the lineup now made up of younger players.
He acknowledged that Kazakhstan is likely to face several teams with higher average ratings in the remaining rounds, but said the players have developed enough confidence to compete with such opponents on equal terms.
Kazakhstan’s men will face Serbia in Round 7.
Both the women’s match against China and the men’s encounter with Serbia are scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. local time on September 23.
The Olympiad consists of 11 rounds, with the final round scheduled for September 27. FIDE provides official tournament information and scheduling on its website.
Turlov also faces FIDE presidential vote in Samarkand
The Olympiad is not the only major chess event in Samarkand with a direct connection to Kazakhstan.
On September 26, the General Assembly of the International Chess Federation, better known as FIDE, is due to elect its president.
Timur Turlov is running for the presidency alongside five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who is seeking the position of FIDE Deputy President on the same ticket.
According to the official FIDE announcement, three presidential tickets have been registered: Jan Henric Buettner and Malcolm Pein, Vadim Rosenstein and Gordon Tang, and Timur Turlov and Viswanathan Anand.
Each national chess federation represented at the FIDE General Assembly has one vote. The election is scheduled for September 26 in Samarkand.
Before that vote, however, Kazakhstan faces a more immediate test over the chessboard.
On September 23, its women’s team will take on China after six consecutive victories. The result will directly shape the standings ahead of the final four rounds of the Olympiad.
We previously reported how six foreign national teams entrusted their Chess Olympiad preparations to coaches from Kazakhstan, with Kazakh specialists working with teams from Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Nepal, Jordan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
