Kazakhstan has repeated its historic result.
The country’s women’s team won silver at the Chess Olympiad for the second consecutive time, while 16-year-old Elnaz Kaliakhmet claimed an individual gold medal on board four, DKNews.kz reports.
The tournament concluded in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan Chess Federation reported the result, which was also reflected in the final standings of the International Chess Federation, FIDE.
Kazakhstan went unbeaten through all 11 rounds
Kazakhstan’s women’s team featured Bibisara Assaubayeva, Alua Nurman, Meruert Kamalidenova, Elnaz Kaliakhmet and Zarina Nurgaliyeva. Pavel Kotsur served as team captain.
The Kazakh team completed all 11 rounds without losing a single team match.
In the final round, Kazakhstan drew 2-2 with Poland and finished the tournament with 18 match points.
China won the women’s section with 20 points and took the Vera Menchik Cup, while India finished third.
For Kazakhstan, the result is significant because it is no longer a one-off breakthrough.
At the previous Olympiad in Budapest in 2024, the women’s team won the country’s first-ever team medal in the event, also finishing second.
“If you look at how the whole tournament unfolded, second place is quite a fair result. At times we were unlucky, and at times luck was on our side. I hope that next time we will finally win gold,” Alua Nurman said.
Two consecutive silver medals now place Kazakhstan among the most consistent performers in women’s team chess at the Olympiad level.
Elnaz Kaliakhmet wins individual gold at 16
The standout individual performance came from Elnaz Kaliakhmet.
The 16-year-old was making her Chess Olympiad debut and scored 7.5 points from nine games, earning the best result on board four and an individual gold medal.
Her contribution also proved crucial in the final round against Poland.
Kaliakhmet’s win helped Kazakhstan level the match and secure second place overall.
“This is my first Olympiad, and of course I am very happy that we were able to finish second and that I was able to take first place on my board. The tournament was very tense and difficult, but I am happy with the result. I hope that at the next Olympiad we will be able to win first place,” Kaliakhmet said.
She identified the match against France as one of the toughest moments of the competition.
“For me, probably the hardest match was against France because I was in a losing position. But luck was on our side. My opponent, because of extreme fatigue, touched the king. She lost a rook because of that, and we managed to win the match almost miraculously,” Kaliakhmet said.
Kazakh women have previously earned strong individual results at Chess Olympiads.
In 2014 in Tromsø, Gulmira Dauletova won bronze after scoring seven points from eight games without a defeat. At the same Olympiad, 17-year-old Dinara Saduakassova also finished among the top performers on her board.
Kaliakhmet’s gold adds another individual milestone, but this time it comes alongside a second straight team silver for Kazakhstan.
Timur Turlov congratulates the team after FIDE election
The Samarkand Olympiad also carried broader significance for Kazakhstan.
Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, was elected president of FIDE during the event.
The election took place on September 26 at the FIDE General Assembly. Turlov received 110 votes in the second round and became the eighth president of the international chess governing body.
After the official medal ceremony, he congratulated the Kazakhstan women’s team.
“I congratulate you on this tremendous victory. You are the best team in the world, and very soon you will show truly major, outstanding results. You will keep doing that for a very, very long time. You are already the best in the world. At every next Olympiad, you will show even more beautiful chess. We are very proud of you. The whole country is proud of you. You are a huge inspiration to everyone around you, to all our fellow citizens. Alga Kazakhstan!” Turlov said.
Kazakhstan’s men finish 25th out of 208 teams
Kazakhstan’s men’s team finished 25th among 208 teams in the open section.
The squad included Denis Makhnev, Sauat Nurgaliyev, Daniyal Sapenov, Aldiyar Ansat and Zhandos Agmanov. Anuar Ismagambetov served as captain.
In the final round, Kazakhstan drew 2-2 with Vietnam.
Makhnev won on board one, Nurgaliyev and Agmanov drew their games, while Ansat lost.
The team finished the 11-round event with 15 match points.
Kazakhstan entered the tournament as the 35th seed and ended ten places higher, in 25th.
Uzbekistan won the open section after defeating Ukraine 2.5-1.5 in the final round and finishing with 20 match points.
It was Uzbekistan’s second Olympiad gold after its victory in Chennai in 2022.
India took silver with 18 points, while Germany won bronze on tiebreaks with the same total.
Next Chess Olympiad will be held in Abu Dhabi
India won the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the best combined result across the open and women’s sections.
Kazakhstan finished ninth in the combined standings.
The 47th Chess Olympiad is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in 2028.
Kazakhstan’s women will head into that event with two consecutive silver medals behind them. Kaliakhmet, still only 16, already has an individual Olympiad gold from her debut appearance.
Earlier, we wrote about Kazakhstan entering the Olympiad as the fourth seed in the women’s competition. The team ultimately finished two places higher, in second.
