From December 14 to 16, the World Rapid and Blitz Championship among youth U14-U18 was held in Terme Čatež (Slovenia). Young Kazakhstani chess players won 10 medals: two gold, four silver and four bronze. This was reported by the Committee for Sports and Physical Culture of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.
Elnaz Kaliakhmet and Daniyal Sapenov brought gold to the country.
The first photo shows Elnaz Kaliakhmet, the second photo shows Daniyal Sapenov.
"We have a record number of medals, most of which were won by very young guys (under 14 and under 16 – editor's note ). The World Rapid and Blitz Championship among youth was no exception and gave a new reason for pride – we have 10 medals in our collection. I congratulate the chess players, their coaches and parents on their great results," said Timur Turlov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.
The Akimat of the Karaganda region also reported that Daniyal Sapenov played at the world-class competition after a difficult and responsible final of the RK championship among men, where he took fifth place (7.5 points). Having played decent games with the best chess players of the RK national team, the young master secured his participation in the adult national championship in 2025.
"The World Rapid and Blitz Championship among youth has ended in Slovenia. Young chess players from Kazakhstan showed themselves brilliantly in blitz, winning four medals, including two gold, one silver and one bronze," the Kazakhstan Chess Federation said in a statement.
Gold: Elnaz Kaliakhmet (G14) – 16 points, and Daniyal Sapenov (O16) – 16½ points.
Silver: Amina Kairbekova (G18) – 16 points.
Bronze: Miras Asylov (O16) – 16 points.
More than 320 young chess players from 36 countries took part in the competition.
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Photos by the KFS press service, cover — unsplash