IM Vladyslav Bakhmatskyi and Tetyana Skarbarchuk emerged as the winners of the 2025 Ukrainian Championship, each claiming their maiden national title.
The championship was held in Lviv from December 15 to 22, 2025. Both the Open and Women’s tournaments, running simultaneously, followed a 9-round Swiss system with classical time controls.
The Open event brought together 125 participants and featured a fierce battle for the title from start to finish. Andrii Trushko seized an early lead, but several players caught up with him in the following round. Defending champion Roman Dehtiarov took the lead after Round 6, only to face one of his closest rivals – IM Vladyslav Bakhmatskyi, the top seed – in Round 7.
Bakhmatskyi scored a crucial victory, took the sole lead, and never relinquished it. Heading into the final round half a point ahead of four rivals, he drew with Trushko and secured the title with 7.5/9, as none of his closest pursuers managed to win their final games.
Four players tied for second place with 7/9. Dehtiarov and Trushko earned silver and bronze, respectively, based on superior Buchholz tiebreak scores.
The Women’s Championship, which attracted 31 players, followed a different script. Tetyana Skarbarchuk dominated the field, clinching the title with a round to spare, and finishing with an impressive 8.5/9.
Lyudmyla Ivanytska secured the silver medal with 7/9, thanks to a crucial final-round victory over last year’s bronze medalist and top seed, Anastasia Hnatyshyn. The 2024 Women’s Champion, Yevgeniya Toroptseva, completed the podium with 6.5/9.
Photos: Ukrainian Chess Federation Facebook
Official website: ukrchess.org.ua/