The women's chess team of Turkmenistan achieved a historic success, taking 50th place in the world ranking of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for the first time based on the results of July 2025.

The achievement is the result of significant progress by the team over the past three years. In December 2022, the team was ranked 105th with an average rating of 1528 points among the top 10 chess players. By August 2025, this figure had risen to 2038 points, representing a qualitative leap of more than 500 points.

Previously, the best result of the women's team was a place in the top 70, which makes the current 50th place an absolute record in the history of national women's chess in Turkmenistan.

The world ranking is led by the Chinese team with an average rating of 2484 points. The second place is occupied by the Indian team, the current Olympic champions, with a rating of 2412. The top three is closed by the Ukrainian team with an indicator of 2383 points.

The success of the Turkmen team was ensured by several factors: a stricter approach to the selection of coaches, a new method of attracting young talents, the introduction of systematic training, adherence to sports principles in the formation of the national team, enhanced debut preparation and work with psychologists at international tournaments.

The coaching staff under the leadership of head coach Shahruh Turayev managed to reveal the potential of the young generation. The leaders of the team were FIDE masters among women: 15-year-old Jahan Rejepova with a personal rating of 2152 and 19-year-old Lala Shohradova with a rating of 2151.

An important milestone was the victory of the women's team at the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest in September 2024, where the team took first place in Category C and 32nd place overall. Preparation for the Olympiad included training camps in Antalya with experienced international coaches, including Ukrainian Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk.

The Turkmenistan Chess Federation views current achievements as a basis for further development. The team's plans include participation in international tournaments, preparation for the 2026 World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, and the fight for a place in the top 40 best teams in the world.