ASTANA — Iman Nabiyev, an eight-year-old chess prodigy from Kostanai, winner of numerous regional and international championships, is gaining recognition on the world stage. In a recent interview with Kazinform news agency, Nabiyev’s mother, Esmira Samedova, spoke about his experience and ambitious plans for the future.
Iman Nabiyev, eight-year-old chess prodigy. Photo credit: Iman Nabyev’s Instagram account.
Nabiyev, a member of the youth chess team of Kazakhstan, began playing chess at the age of five. Despite his young age, he has already won the Asian Blitz championship in Sri Lanka in 2022, the World Championship among schoolchildren in classical chess in Peru from April 30 to May 10, and became vice-champion of the World Cadets & Youth Blitz and Rapid Championship in Georgia from June 5 to 23, 2023.
According to his parents, it was Iman who asked to be enrolled in chess. After trying group classes and finding the schedule inconvenient, they hired a personal chess coach and started attending the Chess Academy in Kostanay.
“At the moment, Iman is studying online with Russian grandmaster Vladimir Vladimirovich Dobrov and Belarusian grandmaster Sergey Nikolaevich Azarov. With the latter, he is engaged in the young talents program of the Kazakh Chess Federation, as Iman is part of the children’s and youth national team,” said Samedova.
Iman Nabiyev. Photo credit: Iman Nabyev’s Instagram account
Nabiyev’s success story began with his first city tournament, where he performed in the 4th category for the first time. He soon started securing first places in regional and state tournaments. At the Kostanay Region Championship among men, he became the first child to enter the top three.
“He had his first international competition in Panama, where 37 countries participated. Iman entered the top four. Then, at the Asian Championship among schoolchildren in Sri Lanka in 2022, Iman became the Asian Champion in blitz chess. In classical chess, he became the bronze medalist,” said Samedova.
The next important tournament for young Nabiyev was the Cadet World Championship in Georgia in 2023, where he won the vice-championship in blitz chess. Among his most recent achievements, Nabiyev secured bronze in classical chess and silver in blitz at the World School Championship in Peru.
“Iman plays every tournament to win, but the experience of losing games is essential. We always try to accept any result with gratitude,” Samedova noted.
Nabiyev’s motivation lies in the victories and the strong support of his parents. They invest considerable energy and money in his chess career, which the young prodigy appreciates and tries his best to honor. His parents support him in all situations, explaining the importance of game experience, whether he wins or loses.
“There are big plans for the future, as Iman wants to practice chess professionally, and for this, we need funding and sponsorship. Chess is an expensive sport. Trips and tournaments cost us a lot of money,” shared Samedova.
Nabiyev’s coach, Daulet Zhakanov, noted that such talent is unprecedented in the history of Kostanay, praising the young player’s perseverance.
“He has incredible performance and discipline. This is a great merit of the parents. It is very important that they invest in him both morally and financially,” said Zhakanov.
Nabiyev’s upcoming tournaments are scheduled in Astana and Almaty, including the Asian Chess Championship from June 9 to 21. An open tournament will follow in Baku from June 29 to July 7. He also plans to compete at the Rapid and Blitz World Championships in Tashkent from Aug. 1 to 8, and the World Cadet Championships in Italy from Nov. 14 to 27.
