ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s national chess team KazChess won silver at the 2025 FIDE World Blitz Team Championship, held in London from June 10 to 16, with six Kazakh players earning individual medals across multiple boards, including two golds. The event brought together 52 teams from around the world and marked the third edition of the championship, reported the chess federation press service on June 15.
Photo credit: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE
KazChess advanced to the final following victories over the Rookies in the round of 16, Freedom in the quarterfinal and Uzbekistan in the semifinal. In the final match, the team faced Germany-based WR Chess Team, which successfully defended its world champion title. KazChess finished second, receiving 50,000 euros (US$58,000) in prize money.
Chess Federation President Timur Turlov praised the KazChess team’s strong performance in London. He noted that the federation had assembled a powerful and cohesive lineup of both emerging talents and seasoned players who competed with resilience and skill until the final round.
“This result demonstrates we are now on par with the world’s strongest teams. Given the age and ambition of our players, the most significant victories are yet to come,” added Turlov.
Six Kazakh players were also recognized for their outstanding individual performances, earning medals across several boards based on their tournament performance ratings. Yergali Suleimen of Team Rookies secured gold on board 7, while Aldiyar Sailaubai, representing Ashdod Elit Chess Club, topped board 9. Silver medals went to Aldiyar Ansat, Xeniya Balabayeva and Darmen Dauren. Daniyal Sapenov added to Kazakhstan’s success with a bronze.
In total, teams competed on six boards – four open, one women’s and one amateur with a rating below 2000.
The tournament followed the rapid section of the World Team Championship, which concluded with Team MGD1 securing gold, Hexamind Chess Team winning silver and Freedom taking bronze. Kazakhstan’s KazChess and Barys.kz also competed in the rapid format earlier in the week.
The 2025 edition marks the third installment of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships, following events in Düsseldorf, 2023 and Astana, 2024.
Kazakhstan’s overall performance reinforced its status as a rising power in international chess. According to the federation, the results reflect a world-class chess school and highlight the country’s growing potential on the global stage.
The Kazakh team also played a historic match with British MPs at the Palace of Westminster as part of their visit to London.
