ASTANA – Almaty is hosting the 26th Asian Youth Chess Championships from June 9 to 21, announced the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.
Photo credit: Maxim Morozov/inbusiness.kz
In an interview with Kazinform, grandmaster Darmen Sadvakassov, the federation’s first Vice President, shared that the competition features over 640 players from 33 countries, competing in three time controls: classic, rapid, and blitz.
“We hope that this tournament will become a launching pad for future chess stars, such as Gukesh Dommaraju, the current official senior world champion contender, who collected five gold medals at the 2018 Asian Championships,” he stated.
According to Sadvakassov, all participants in the world title matches represent Asia this year: Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju for men, and Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi for women.
“Our women’s and youth team players have shown outstanding results on the international stage, winning medals at world championships. New men’s grandmasters are emerging, and the national team is being revitalized. In total, nearly 40 international and FIDE masters will compete in the Asian Championship in Almaty. Our players will vie for medals in various age categories,” he added.
The federation has prepared a rich leisure program, including a match between chess and football players, master classes, and other engaging side events.
“We want to pay great attention to the environment: all plastic used during the tournament will be recycled, and participants will contribute to this effort. The recycled plastic will later be used to create chess boards and cups,” Sadvakassov said.
