With an outstanding medal haul across the age categories, Kazakhstan emerged as one of the leading forces at the 2026 World Youth Championships, showcasing the strength of its next generation of chess talent.
The 2026 World U7–U17 Chess Championships came to a close in Roquetas de Mar, Spain, with a festive closing ceremony celebrating the achievements of hundreds of young players from around the world. After 11 rounds of competition, the event reached its climax as the newly crowned world champions and medallists received their awards, marking the culmination of an intense championship filled with ambition, determination, and memorable battles over the board.
Hosted at the Evenia Zoraida Hotel Resort, the championship welcomed 721 players representing 82 countries. Beyond the results and medals, the event provided a meeting point for young chess talents from across the globe, united by their passion for the game. The ceremony brought together players, families, coaches, officials and representatives of the international chess community to celebrate the accomplishments of the participants across all 12 age and gender categories.
Music and dance
The evening opened with a vibrant music and dance performance by the Duende Andaluz flamenco group, which was warmly received by the more than 1,000 players and accompanying guests in attendance.
Authorities, speeches and anthems
Following the presentation of the attending authorities, Javier Ochoa de Echagüen, President of the Spanish Chess Federation, delivered a welcome address. He reminded the audience that Roquetas de Mar will remain an important destination on the international chess calendar, hosting the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2027, after Easter Week, as well as the World U7–U11 Championships in November.
Ozgur Solakoğlu, FIDE Technical Delegate, also addressed the audience, congratulating all the young players on their achievements and commending their participation in the championship.
Other distinguished guests taking part in the prize-giving ceremony included Dominic Cross, President of the Portuguese Chess Federation; Javier Rubio Doblas, President of the Andalusian Chess Federation; Miguel Álvarez Morales, Tournament Director; José Molina Guijarro, Director of the Evenia Zoraida Resort; and IA Takis Nikolopoulos, Main Arbiter.
The ceremony also paid tribute to Spain and FIDE with the playing of their respective national and organisational anthems, adding a solemn and memorable touch to the celebrations.
Prize-winners
The Girls U7 category was dominated by Kazakhstan, with Leila Aldazharova claiming the gold medal with 9/11 and compatriot Alima Akimkhan taking silver with 8.5/11. Canada’s Echo Heming Fang also scored 8.5/11 to secure the bronze medal among the 28 participants.
The title race went down to the final round, with Aldazharova and Fang both on 8/10. Aldazharova’s decisive victory over Chen Yi Estelle Yap proved crucial, while Fang could only manage a draw, allowing the Kazakh player to claim gold outright.
The Open U7 category delivered an exciting finale, with decisive results on the top ten boards keeping the medal race alive until the very end. Kazakhstan’s Makar Chernyshov won his final-round game to secure the gold medal with an impressive 9/11.
Poland’s Ignacy Mongay Miland and Daniil Aslanov, competing under the FIDE flag, both finished on 8.5/11, with Mongay Miland edging out his rival to claim silver, leaving Aslanov with bronze.
The section featured 53 players, and Egypt’s Mohab Ahmed Assem endured a particularly disappointing final round. Starting the day among the leaders on 8/10, he suffered a defeat that pushed him down to fourth place, just outside the podium.
Still, he could take some consolation in a strong tournament performance – and perhaps a few extra rating points for his digital chess résumé!
The Girls U9 category, which featured 40 players, produced a closely contested finish, with three players tied on 8.5/11 after eleven rounds. Amaliya Yedresheva of Kazakhstan, Varvara Volkova competing under the FIDE flag, and Stella Zhu representing Finland shared the top score.
The tiebreak criteria confirmed the final ranking, awarding the gold medal to Yedresheva, who had started the tournament as the 18th seed. Her victory added another gold medal to Kazakhstan’s growing tally at the championship, while Volkova took silver and Zhu claimed bronze.
The Open U9 section, which brought together 82 players, saw Ukraine’s Myron Netrebka claim the gold medal with an outstanding 9.5/11. Uzbekistan’s Sayfuddin Erkinboev finished a half-point behind on 9/11 to take silver, while Poland’s Wiktor Stankowski secured bronze with 8.5/11.
The final round proved decisive in shaping the podium. Stankowski, playing Black, defeated Erkinboev in a must-win encounter, while Netrebka converted his opportunity on the second board into a victory. The Ukrainian’s win allowed him to finish clear of the field and secure the title outright.
The Girls U11 category witnessed a remarkable performance by top seed WCM Milana Filippova of Kazakhstan, who swept the field with a perfect 11/11, winning every game to claim the gold medal in emphatic fashion.
Among the 47 participants, Filippova left her rivals trailing by a substantial margin. Alexandra Aymerich Sazonova, playing under the FIDE flag and seeded 20th, produced an impressive performance to secure silver with 8/11. Uzbekistan’s WFM Husnorakhon Khusnitdinova also scored 8/11 to take bronze.
Filippova’s achievement was all the more remarkable given that she defeated both of her fellow medallists, who had started the tournament as the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively. A perfect score of 11 points from 11 games made her one of the standout performers of the entire championship.
The Open U11 category saw a thrilling battle for the gold medal between CM Amirzhan Anetov of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’s Akbar Mustafakulov. With the title race finely balanced, Anetov delivered a decisive late surge, winning his final four games in a row, including a crucial victory over Mustafakulov, to secure the gold medal.
Kazakhstan celebrated another podium finish as Rauan Bakhyt claimed bronze, completing a strong showing for the Central Asian chess powerhouse in a section featuring 99 players.
The Girls U13 category brought together 43 players for eleven hard-fought rounds, with Uzbekistan claiming both gold and silver. WCM Lazizabonu Komiljonova emerged victorious with 8.5/11, finishing half a point ahead of compatriot WFM Sarvinoz Begmuratova, who took silver with 8/11.
Romania’s WCM Maria Anistoroaei completed the podium with 7.5/11. In a tightly contested race for bronze, she edged out four other players on tiebreak, securing third place after an eventful championship.
The Open U13 category was dominated by top seed IM Danis Kuandykuly of Kazakhstan, who produced an outstanding performance to claim the gold medal with an impressive 10.5/11. Dropping just half a point across eleven rounds, he finished a full point and a half ahead of his closest rival in a highly competitive field of 75 players.
Egypt’s IM Abdalrahman Sameh Mohamed secured silver with 9/11, while Kazakhstan added another medal to its tally as FM Alimzhan Zhauynbay took bronze with 8.5/11.
Kuandykuly’s remarkable score underlined his strength and consistency throughout the tournament, making him one of the championship’s most dominant performers.
The Girls U15 category saw Mongolia’s WCM Batkhishigt Enkhnamuun claim the gold medal with an excellent 8.5/11. In a closely fought competition featuring 43 players, three further competitors finished on 7.5/11, leaving the silver and bronze medals to be decided by tiebreaks.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Bao Linh Vu, seeded 25th at the start of the tournament, produced an impressive performance to take silver, while top seed WFM Aiaru Altynbek of Kazakhstan had to settle for bronze. The results highlighted the unpredictable nature of the competition, with a lower-seeded player breaking through to claim a place among the medallists.
The Open U15 category delivered another double success for Kazakhstan, with FM Aldiyar Zhauynbay, seeded seventh, claiming the gold medal with 9/11. His compatriot FM Zharas Aldiyar, the 11th seed, secured silver with 8/11, adding to Kazakhstan’s impressive medal tally at the championship.
The battle for bronze was particularly competitive in a field of 85 players. Five other competitors also finished on 8/11, including rating favourite Siddharth Singh of the United States. However, the tiebreak criteria ultimately favoured Vietnam’s CM Manh Duc Nguyen, who took the bronze medal after a tightly contested tournament.
The Girls U17 category, featuring 49 players, produced a thrilling battle for the title, with WFM Batpelden Buyankhishig of Mongolia and Georgia’s WIM Kesaria Mgeladze both finishing on an impressive 9.5/11. The gold medal was decided by tiebreak, which favoured Buyankhishig, leaving Mgeladze with silver after an outstanding tournament.
Kazakhstan’s WIM Mariya Kholyavko, the top seed at the start of the competition, completed the podium by claiming bronze.
The Open U17 category brought the championship to an exciting close, with three strong masters finishing on 8.5/11 in a field of 77 players. Following the application of the tiebreak criteria, FM Zanas Nainys of Lithuania emerged as the gold medallist. His performance was particularly consistent, as he spent much of the tournament competing on the top two boards.
The home crowd had plenty to celebrate, too, as two Spanish players secured the remaining places on the podium. FM Daniel Tabuenca Mendataurigoitia claimed silver, while CM Iago Fernandez Ramos took bronze, giving the local audience an extra reason to cheer at the conclusion of the championship.
The final team podium recognised the three federations that accumulated the highest medal totals across the championship. Kazakhstan topped the standings, claiming the main trophy with an impressive haul of seven gold, two silver and four bronze medals. Mongolia finished second with two gold medals, while Uzbekistan secured third place with one gold, three silver and one bronze.
After approximately 90 minutes of celebrations, speeches and medal presentations, FIDE Technical Delegate Ozgur Solakoğlu officially declared the championship closed. The ceremony culminated in a magnificent group photograph, with all the individual medallists gathering on stage to mark the end of an unforgettable World U7–U17 Championship in Roquetas de Mar.
Written by IM Michael A. Rahal (Roquetas de Mar, Spain)
Photos: Javier Garrido
Official website: https://fedaworld.org/