Chess - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 23

Chess

Beyond the Magnus Selfie: Kazakhstan’s Alua Nurman Climbs the Chess Ranks

Kazakhstani chess player Alua Nurman attracted attention on social media after taking a selfie with top-ranked Magnus Carlsen at a tournament. However, some chess analysts suggest that greater attention should be paid to her recent success on the board. This year, 18-year-old Nurman was awarded the International Master (IM) title by FIDE, the international governing body of chess. She previously held the lower-ranking Woman Grandmaster title. Nurman delivered strong performances at the Prague International Chess Festival in late February and early March, and again at the Agzamov Memorial tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where she defeated American grandmaster Brandon Jacobson, whose classical chess rating is about 2,590. Her rating has increased by around 65 points to more than 2,440 as a result of her recent results. The International Master title requires a rating of at least 2,400. “Alua didn't just take a selfie w/ Magnus, she also earned the IM title, had the best tournament performance of her career, got her highest-rated win ever, & became No. 1 in the girls' junior rankings!” Women’s Chess Coverage, a social media account focused on women’s chess, said on X. FIDE defines juniors as players under 20. Nurman is Kazakhstan’s second-ranked female chess player after Bibisara Asaubayeva, who is currently competing in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. The selfie was taken on April 2, just before Nurman and Carlsen played at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe, Germany. Nurman asked for a selfie, and Carlsen obliged. The Kazakhstani player then put her phone in her bag. After a moment, Carlsen got up and told a tournament official that Nurman had a phone, and it was confiscated for the duration of the game. FIDE generally prohibits players from having electronic communication devices during matches because of concerns about cheating. The selfie incident occurred before the start of the match, which the Norwegian won. Nurman was delighted with the experience of playing Carlsen, who is widely considered one of the best chess players of all time. “Dream come true!!” she said on Instagram. It was, Nurman added, a “truly enjoyable game.”

Chess

Uzbekistan’s Sindarov Beats American Nakamura, Stays in Lead at FIDE Candidates

Playing with the black pieces, Javokhir Sindarov defeated Hikaru Nakamura at the FIDE Candidates Tournament on Friday and maintained his lead at the elite chess event underway on the shores of the Mediterranean. The 20-year-old Uzbekistani grandmaster has won four games after five rounds at the tournament near Paphos, Cyprus, in what some commentators have described as the best start seen at the tournament in many years. Sindarov now has 4.5 points, one point ahead of Fabiano Caruana in second place. The winner of the eight-player, 14-round tournament will challenge the current world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, later this year. Sindarov’s win over Nakamura of the United States came after he defeated Caruana, who is also American, on Wednesday. Nakamura spent about one hour considering one move, and Caruana had also got into time trouble against Sindarov. “Interesting opening choice from Sindarov,” American grandmaster Hans Niemann, who is not playing in the candidates tournament, tweeted during the Sindarov-Nakamura game. “Slight surprise and betting that Hikaru won't have a dangerous counter-surprise prepared. If Sindarov remembers the line, it seems like it will end in a perpetual. Sindarov continues to impress.” In chess, a perpetual is a situation where one player can endlessly check the other player’s king, leading to a draw. Sindarov, however, turned expectations of a perpetual into a victory. Sindarov won the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, but his wins over Nakamura, ranked second in the world, and third-ranked Caruana indicate that the Uzbekistani is a consistent contender at the very top of men’s chess. After defeating Nakamura, he signed autographs for children at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, where the candidates tournament is being held. While Sindarov is ranked just outside the top ten in classical chess, his performance in Cyprus is expected to boost his ranking. Another player from Uzbekistan, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, has moved up to fourth place in the classical ratings list. Abdusattorov is currently playing in the Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe, Germany. Top-ranked Magnus Carlsen is also playing there.

Chess

Sindarov Ahead in Candidates, While Asaubayeva Shares Women’s Lead

Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan is leading after four rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, the elite chess contest that will determine the challenger to the world champion. In the women’s competition, Bibisara Asaubayeva of Kazakhstan is tied for first place. Sindarov, winner of the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, played with the white pieces and defeated Fabiano Caruana on Wednesday for his third win of the candidates tournament at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos, Cyprus. Sindarov put early pressure on the American and built a sizeable advantage on the clock. The 20-year-old Uzbekistani player faces Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the fifth round on Friday. Featuring eight players, the 14-round tournament began on March 28 and ends on April 16. The winner will challenge the current world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, later this year. In an interview with the Lichess platform, Sindarov said preparation was the key to the win over Caruana and he hasn’t been focused on whether other players would catch his early lead in the tournament. He currently has 3.5 points, while Caruana is in second place with 2.5 points. “I don’t think about this a lot,” he said. “I was just playing chess.” Sindarov’s style of play often includes “bold sacrifices, energetic attacks, and creative solutions to difficult positions,” making him an unpredictable competitor in Cyprus, according to the candidates tournament website. It noted his strong results at the elite level, among them a gold medal at the Chess Olympiad in 2022 in Chennai, India, “where Uzbekistan sensationally won ahead of many traditional chess powers.” In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Asaubayeva, 22, drew in a game against China’s Tan Zhongyi on Wednesday. The Kazakhstani player and Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine are currently joint tournament leaders with 2.5 points. Asaubayeva plays against Kateryna Lagno of Russia in round five on Friday. The winner of the tournament will challenge the women’s world champion, Ju Wenjun of China. Asaubayeva won the Women’s World Blitz Championship in 2021, 2022 and again in 2025. FIDE, the Switzerland-based governing body of chess, awarded grandmaster status to Asaubayeva last year. “Unlike purely positional grinders, she thrives in active positions where initiative and momentum matter,” says the candidates tournament website, noting the Kazakhstani player’s standout composure in knockout and high-tempo formats.

Chess

Uzbek Grandmaster Abdusattorov Wins in Prague: “I Was Always in Control.”

Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan has risen to fourth in the live chess ratings after winning the Prague Chess Festival Masters this month, following his victory in the elite Tata Steel tournament in the Netherlands earlier this year as well as the 2025 London Chess Classic. Abdusattorov now has a classical chess live rating of 2780.3, behind Fabiano Caruana (2793.2), Hikaru Nakamura (2810), both of the United States, and top-ranked Magnus Carlsen (2840) of Norway. The player from Uzbekistan is 21 years old, while the other three players are in their 30s. Live ratings are updates of chess ratings that happen after the end of a game in a major tournament. They are based on the official ratings of FIDE, the international governing body of chess, that are updated every month. In the final round in Prague, Abdusattorov’s draw against American Hans Niemann was enough to win the tournament. The nine-day event ended on March 6. “It went very smooth. I was always in control,” the Uzbek player said in an interview with lichess.org, a chess platform. “Prague is a nice place and a lucky place for me because I won two tournaments here already.” Abdusattorov said a lot of people from Uzbekistan came to the venue to support him, and that his strong run began in London last year. “It boosts my confidence and everything went my way since then,” he told lichess.org. “It’s continuing to get better and better. But when you are playing against absolutely top players like Magnus, Fabiano and all other super grandmasters, you need to show consistency, you need to prove everything again and again. “That’s my mindset for now.” According to the Prague tournament website, Abdusattorov said he took a break from the tournament last year after an earlier title there and might try the same schedule again, aiming to return in 2028.

Chess

KazChessLab Opens in Kazakhstan Amid Plans to Teach Chess in Schools

The KazChessLab innovation laboratory has been officially inaugurated at the Kazakh National Women's Pedagogical University (QyzPU) in Almaty. The project is supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and is a partnership between QyzPU and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. KazChessLab is a modern educational platform designed to prepare chess teachers for secondary schools. The program is intended for students majoring in pedagogy and is offered as a minor. Upon completion of the course, graduates will receive certificates confirming their eligibility to teach chess in Kazakh schools. At the opening ceremony on February 20, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek highlighted the importance of developing chess in Kazakhstan. “In 2023, on the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a strategic chess development plan was approved. Every child should be introduced to chess and master the game from an early school age. Today, Kazakhstan demonstrates high achievements in chess, and qualified teachers are essential for further development,” the minister said. “The opening of KazChessLab at our university is an important step aimed at updating educational content and enhancing the professional potential of future teachers,” said Beibitkul Karimova, Chair of the Board and Rector of QyzPU. “Chess is not just a game, but a tool for developing strategic thinking, responsibility, and perseverance. Training teachers capable of teaching this subject at a professional level is one of the pressing challenges of our time.” Timur Turlov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, described the opening of the laboratory as a milestone. “Kazakhstani chess has been consistently moving toward this goal for several years. These young specialists will not only teach children the rules of the game but also contribute to their intellectual development. I am confident that the synergy of modern infrastructure, a strong teaching school, and government support will take chess and chess education in Kazakhstan to a whole new level,” he said.

Chess

Tata Steel Chess Contest Has A New Champion – From Uzbekistan

When he was a child, Nodirbek Abdusattorov dreamed of winning the elite Tata Steel Chess Tournament in the Netherlands. On Sunday, the 21-year-old from Uzbekistan did just that. Abdusattorov secured the champion´s title after raising his point total to nine, playing with the black pieces in a final round victory over Indian Arjun Erigaisi. Another grandmaster from Uzbekistan, 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov, came second with eight and a half points. “I can’t express my happiness with words. It was a long way for me,” Abdusattorov said in an interview posted on the tournament website. He said he had come close to winning the contest in previous years, and finally doing so was a highlight of his career. “I had a dream to win this tournament when I was a kid and finally my dream came true,” he said. “I just told myself: ‘Don’t let it slip this year.´” Uzbekistan´s top player had six wins, six draws and one loss in the 13-round tournament. “For three straight years, Nodirbek Abdusattorov was right there on top going into the final weekend. Three times, the title slipped through his fingers. This year, he came back and finished the story. From heartbreak to redemption,” the tournament said on X. Abdusattorov won the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in 2021 and was part of the team from Uzbekistan that won gold at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. FIDE is the international governing body of chess. “I gave everything I had,” Abdusattorov said. “I don’t have plans for celebration but obviously I’m going to do something.” Sindarov had four wins, nine draws and no losses at the Tata Steel event, where he was the only unbeaten player. He won the FIDE World Cup in 2025, qualifying for this year’s Candidates Tournament, which determines who can challenge the world champion. The current champion is India’s Gukesh Dommaraju. Over the years, the Tata Steel tournament in the seaside town of Wijk aan Zee has attracted greats of the game including Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Magnus Carlsen. The strong showing by Uzbek players in the 14-participant Masters competition this year shows the growing strength of chess talent in Uzbekistan.