Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistani chess player Humoyun Begmuratov has won the FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship for players under 20, which is being held in Al Ain, the United Arab Emirates.
Uzbekistan's team also secured two silver medals: Umida Omonova finished second in the girls' rapid tournament, while Afruza Khamdamova took silver in the girls' blitz event. The results were reported by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan.
Begmuratov went unbeaten through all nine rounds of the open rapid tournament, scoring 7.5 points from six wins and three draws.
India's Pranav V. took silver, while Azerbaijan's Raad Samadov won bronze. Both scored seven points, with their final positions determined by tiebreak criteria.
In the girls' rapid event, Eline Roebers of the Netherlands won the world title with seven points out of nine. Umida Omonova and Marina Kuznetsova, competing under the FIDE flag, scored 6.5 points each. Omonova secured silver on tiebreaks, while Kuznetsova finished third.
The blitz tournament consisted of 13 rounds. Afruza Khamdamova scored 9.5 points to finish second in the girls' competition. The Chess Federation of Uzbekistan described the medal as another international achievement for the player. Umida Omonova finished sixth with 8.5 points, while Nilufarkhon Imomkuziyeva scored seven.
In the open blitz tournament, Humoyun Begmuratov and Muhammadzohid Suyarov each scored nine points, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Muzaffarjon Abdurasulov scored seven points, while Usmonkhon Tohirjonov finished with 6.5.
The World Junior Rapid and Blitz Championships are taking place in Al Ain from 1 to 7 November. A total of 185 chess players from 40 countries are competing for four world titles.
The tournament was organised by Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club in cooperation with the UAE Chess Federation, under the auspices of FIDE and the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Zayed for Good Foundation and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
The ceremonial first move in the ninth and final round of the rapid tournament was made by Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, the UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs.
He also presented the awards to the winners at a ceremony held at Danat Al Ain Resort.
To mark Al Ain's designation as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2026, the organisers also honoured the top Arab chess players. The awards went to Abdelrahman Sameh Mohamed of Egypt and Rawda Essa Alserkal of the UAE.
