Two international chess tournaments have kicked off in Almaty: the finals of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship and a match between the Kazakhstani and the World Youth teams. From August 4 to 9, teams from 16 universities across the globe, including institutions with centuries-old academic history and rich chess traditions, such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard, will compete for the prestigious title. The chess clubs of these universities have existed for more than a century and a half. Their teams represent not only leading educational institutions but also an entire era in the history of university chess. Kazakhstan is represented by teams from three universities: the Kazakh National University of Sports, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Almaty Management University.
Today, Almaty hosted the opening ceremony for both events.
“Today, Kazakhstan becomes the meeting place for the strongest young chess players representing the world’s leading educational institutions. Hosting this championship in Kazakhstan is a recognition of the level of development of domestic chess and our country’s capacity to host major international intellectual sporting events. Head of State Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev pays special attention to the development of chess, viewing it not only as a sport but also as a crucial part of intellectual culture, education, and the upbringing of the younger generation,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva in a video address to the participants.
Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek noted that consistent work continues in the country to develop chess education and train teaching personnel. As part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Chess for 2023–2027, a minor program titled “Chess Teacher” has been introduced in pedagogical universities, aimed at building additional professional competencies among future teachers.
“Chess is not only an intellectual game but also an effective educational tool that develops critical thinking, independence, responsibility, and the capacity for strategic planning. That is why it is fundamentally important for us to train educators capable of professionally integrating chess education into the learning process. Today, this work is already yielding concrete results: more than 200 students from five pedagogical universities have completed training under the ‘Chess Teacher’ Minor program, and educational programs that include chess education disciplines are being implemented in 31 universities across the country. The next important stage was the opening of the KazChessLab educational and methodological laboratory at QyzPU. It will become a center for developing modern teaching methods, providing scientific and methodological support for chess education, and training a new generation of teachers,” the minister said.
Hosting the tournament continues Kazakhstan’s large-scale cooperation with FIDE. In November 2025, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting with representatives of FIDE. The parties discussed the further development of cooperation, holding major international competitions in Kazakhstan, and implementing joint chess projects. The President of Kazakhstan emphasized that chess is not only a sport but also an important part of intellectual culture, upbringing, and education. Special attention in the country is paid to the development of chess infrastructure and the promotion of the game among children and youth.
President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Timur Turlov emphasized that holding the tournament in Almaty confirms the position of Kazakhstan and the national federation in the global chess movement, while the development of student chess is a key priority, as the university environment helps to form connections that reach far beyond sports.
“We know from history that chess was born in India, gained strength in Persia, and spread across the world along numerous trade routes, one of which passed right here, at the foot of the Almaty mountains. Fifteen hundred years later, the game has returned to where it once journeyed onward. And the fact that Kazakhstan and Almaty are hosting this historic milestone today speaks louder than any words about the strength of our country and our federation, which has rightfully become one of the locomotives of world chess. At the same time, the development of student chess is one of our top priorities, because it is in the university environment today that ties and acquaintances are forged that go far beyond the chessboard and continue in science, education, and joint projects around the world,” stated President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Timur Turlov.
Deputy Akim of Almaty Nurlan Abdrakhim noted that Almaty is justifiably considered a student city, home to more than 236,000 students, making it symbolic that it is hosting a championship uniting youth from different countries of the world.
“Almaty can rightfully be called a student city: today, more than 236,000 students study here. It is one of the largest educational and youth centers in the country, where leading universities are concentrated and opportunities are created for study, development, sports, and realizing new ideas. Therefore, it is especially symbolic that Almaty is hosting a championship that brings together students from different countries of the world – today, students from the world’s leading universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and others have arrived here. Such competitions give young people the opportunity not only to excel in sports but also to communicate, exchange experience, and get to know each other’s culture and traditions,” said Deputy Akim of Almaty Nurlan Abdrakhim.
The following universities are participating in the finals of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship (listed according to the average classical (standard) FIDE ratings of the team members as of August 1):
- Saint Louis University (USA): 2577;
- Ural State Mining University (Yekaterinburg, FIDE): 2514;
- University of Texas at Dallas (USA): 2441;
- Kazakh National University of Sports (Astana): 2420;
- National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) (Greece): 2393;
- Universitas Gunadarma (Depok, Indonesia): 2358;
- Webster University (St. Louis, USA): 2223;
- Universidad de Chile (Santiago, Chile): 2152;
- University of Cambridge (UK): 2136;
- The University of Melbourne (Australia): 2116;
- Harvard University (USA): 2099;
- Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Farabi University) (Almaty): 2064;
- University of Oxford (UK): 2039;
- Almaty Management University: 2024;
- University of Pretoria (South Africa): 1909;
- Peking University (China): 1690.
The teams are divided into four groups of equal strength and will play in a team-versus-team round-robin format to determine the top two teams in each group, followed by a single-elimination playoff stage.
Group A: Harvard University, Peking University, The University of Melbourne, Ural State Mining University;
Group B: Saint Louis University, Universidad de Chile, University of Pretoria, Webster University;
Group C: Almaty Management University, University of Cambridge, National Technical University of Athens, University of Texas at Dallas;
Group D: Farabi University, Kazakh National University of Sports, University of Oxford, Universitas Gunadarma.
In all final stage matches across each of the 4 boards (lineups must include representatives of both genders), teams will play two games with color swaps at a rapid time control of 45+30. In knockout matches, tiebreaks will be played if necessary using a blitz control of 3+2 and Armageddon.
Additionally, on August 4–5, running parallel to the world university team championship, a youth match (ages 8 to 18) between the national teams of Kazakhstan and the World, featuring boys’ teams (Kazakhstan Boys Team vs. World Boys Team) and girls’ teams (Kazakhstan Girls Team vs. World Girls Team) will be held, first in rapid format, followed by a blitz segment. The total prize pool for the match is 15 million KZT (approximately $39,000). Each team lineup includes 6 players, one in each age category: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18.
The competition organizers are the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the RK, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, and the Akimat of Almaty City.
General partners are the Freedom Holding Corp. group of companies and the Shapagat Corporate Foundation. Official partners: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty Tourism Bureau and Visit Almaty, Herbalife, online platform Lichess.org, beverage brand “Zigi-Zagi”, and smartwatch brand Qutty Band. Information partners of the competition: Channel One Eurasia, Qazsport, Khabar Agency, 24.kz, Jibek Joly, Silk Way, 7tv, Astana TV Channel, MIR TV, Sport+, Kursiv, Kazinform, Tengrinews, TengriSport, Vesti.kz, Amanat Media Group, NewTimes, Bes.media, Aikyn.kz, Liter.kz, DK News, Ult.kz, Sportinform.kz, Azattyq Ruhy, Turkystan.kz, Zhuldyz FM, Radio NS, Orda.fm, Toppress, Today Info, Chessno Govorya, ChessBase.
Official website: https://worlduniversities2026.fide.com/