A stage of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan’s Grand Prix series took place in Turkmenabat from November 1 to 10.

The tournament is being held in the Lebap velayat for the second consecutive year, with 125 participants in the open category and 56 in the women’s category. The competition followed a nine-round Swiss-system format. In addition to the main awards, winners and runners-up were determined across seven age categories—ranging from the youngest participants (up to 6 years old) to players up to 18 years of age.

One of the tournament’s standout performers was Shageldi Kurbandurdyev from the Danev etrap. A 12th-grade student, he holds the title of Candidate Master of Sports (CM) and a rating of 2152; he secured victory in the open category by scoring an impressive 8 points out of a possible 9.

Ilhan Charyev (2172) took the silver medal, finishing the tournament with 7,5 points. Third place went to FIDE Master (FM) Mergen Kakabayev (2209), who scored 7 points.

In the women’s category, the winner was Jennet Yalkanova (1921), representing the Mary velayat and born in 2009. Second place went to Nurana Soyunova (1921) from the "Kusht Alemi" Chess Academy. The bronze medalist was 16-year-old Mahri Agamuradova from the Lebap velayat (2101).

Competitions in the younger age categories deserve special attention. For many young chess players, participating in such tournaments is an opportunity to gain competitive experience, test their skills, and learn how to make decisions in the context of a real sporting contest.

It is noteworthy that awards were presented even to children under the age of six. Such early competitions often mark the beginning of a major journey in the world of chess.