Kazakhstan Championship: Sauat Nurgaliyev and Zarina Nurgalieva capture titles
15-year-old IM Sauat Nurgaliyev and 16-year-old WIM Zarina Nurgalieva (no relation) are the newly crowned Kazakhstan chess champions, both winning their maiden national titles. The 2026 Kazakhstan Championship, held in open and women’s sections, took place in Astana from May 2–12. Both competitions were 14-player round-robins with classical time control (90 minutes + 30 seconds increment). Both competitions served as qualifiers for the national teams to represent Kazakhstan at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The open section proved exceptionally tight, as most participants were closely matched in rating. After Round 8, as many as three players – IM Zhandos Agmanov, the 2025 champion GM Kazybek Nogerbek, and Nurgaliyev – were sharing the lead on 5.5/8. A pivotal moment came in Round 9: Agmanov and Nogerbek split a point in their game, while Nurgaliyev defeated Vladislav Malygin and seized the sole lead, a position he maintained to the very end. Heading into the final round, a full point ahead of his closest rivals, Nurgaliyev made a quick draw with FM Dinmukhammed Tulendinov and secured the title with a score of 9/13. Agmanov pulled off a final-round victory and finished just a half-point behind the champion, becoming a three-time silver medalist. Notably, both the champion and the runner-up completed the event unbeaten. Heading into the final round a full point ahead of his closest rivals, Nurgaliyev made a quick draw with FM Dinmukhammed Tulendinov and secured the title with a score of 9/13. Agmanov pulled off a final-round victory and finished just a half-point behind the champion. Notably, both the champion and the runner-up completed the event unbeaten. Three players tied for third place on 8/13, with GM Ramazan Zhalmakhanov taking bronze based on his superior Sonneborn-Berger tiebreaker. Final standings – Open The women’s competition was even more thrilling, as four participants – WGM Liya Kurmangaliyeva, WIM Zarina Nurgalieva, the 2025 champion WIM Elnaz Kaliakhmet, and IM Meruert Kamalidenova – all crossed the finish line on 9/13, resulting in a four-way tie for the first place. The rapid single round-robin that followed failed to produce a clear winner the winner: Nurgalieva and Kamalidenova both scored 2/3 forcing a two-game blitz tiebreaker. Nurgalieva dominated both games, recording a 2–0 victory to claim the national title. Final standings – Women Photos: Kazakhstan Chess Federation
FIDE World Amateur Rapid & Blitz Championships in Nigeria: Registration now open
All FIDE Member Federations and eligible players are invited to participate in the inaugural FIDE World Amateur Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2026, open to players with a FIDE rating under 2300. The event will be held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, from August 1 (arrival) to August 8 (departure), 2026. The Championships are open to players registered by their national federations. FIDE Member Federations have the right to enter an unlimited number of players. There will be separate Open and Women’s Championships across the following FIDE rating categories: under 2300, under 2000, and under 1700. A separate Women’s Championship will be organized in each category provided that there are at least twenty players from at least two continents. The Championships will be conducted using the Swiss System, with the number of rounds determined based on the final registration numbers. The time controls: Rapid: 15 minutes plus 10-second increment from move one Blitz: 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment from move one All participants who need to apply for a Nigerian visa must request an invitation letter no later than June 30, 2026. The registration deadline for participants and accompanying persons is also June 30, 2026. Invitation letter, regulations, schedule (PDF) E-mail: worldamateur_rb@fide.com