It feels as though in 2025, chess touched almost everyone in Kazakhstan at least once.

You may have seen the news about Meruert Kamalidenova’s performance at the FIDE Women’s World Cup and the congratulations addressed to her by the Head of State.

Or perhaps you heard about the historic achievement of Edgar Mamedov, who became the country’s first 14-year-old grandmaster.

I know that Almaty residents – or at least many among my friends and acquaintances – are well aware of the triumph of our young talents at the home World Championship held at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace.

I would wager that the achievements of our women’s team leader, Bibisara Assaubayeva, did not pass you by either. Bibisara has firmly established herself among the world elite, becoming only the second woman in Kazakhstan’s history to earn the Grandmaster title.

In the year behind us, there were many reasons to celebrate, which makes reflecting on its results particularly gratifying. For Kazakhstani chess, 2025 was precisely that kind of year. We achieved truly remarkable results at major international tournaments, collaborated extensively with FIDE, and made chess even more popular across the regions.

The benchmark for chess in Kazakhstan has risen noticeably over the past year. This is evident not only from the medals won, but also from the shifting perception of chess within the country: the growing number of schools integrating the subject, the mood within the professional community, and the public response on social media whenever news of our players’ success abroad breaks once again.

I have the KCF’s final annual report for 2025 right here in front of me. Let’s look at the development of our chess through numbers and facts, recall the key highlights, and see where we stand as we enter the new year, 2026.
It is probably best to start with the medals. In my view, this is the most honest indicator of the overall state of our chess ecosystem. Over the course of the year, we brought home 161 medals from international tournaments, including 63 golds – a 14.5% increase compared to 2024, when we won 55 gold medals.
Kazakhstan not only competed but also hosted three major FIDE international competitions: the Asian Zonal 3.4 Championship and the FIDE World Cadet Championship in Almaty, as well as the 2nd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities in Astana.

In total, over 1,100 participants from 88 countries took part in these events. Among our guests of honor were State Counsellor of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Karin, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ermek Kosherbaev, and Almaty Mayor (Akim) Darhan Satybaldy.

I would like to highlight that the organization on the KCF’s part was top-notch – my colleagues truly gave it their all.

Our guests and participants experienced genuine Kazakh hospitality firsthand, and judging by the feedback we received, many left with a feeling of having discovered our country anew. This is an undeniable boost to Kazakhstan’s sporting reputation.

Looking at the sheer volume of domestic competitions and tournaments – over 3,800 events involving 118,000 participants – it is clear that chess is at the height of its popularity.

Today, it is one of the most widely played sports in the country, with 24 national-level tournaments alone.

This gives us the green light to press ahead: modernizing infrastructure, collaborating even more closely with the regions, integrating chess into education, and rolling out new projects.

Truth be told, much of this credit goes to the Head of State. Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich’s attention and personal commitment to the development of chess open every door for us. Decisions are made remarkably faster, and projects are implemented without unnecessary bureaucracy. That is a key reason why the chess agenda over the past three years has been so intense and action-packed.

The young and energetic team of Kazakhstanis who make up our Federation today are genuinely passionate about what they do. Backed by the support of ministries and regional administrations, they are not afraid to experiment, challenge the status quo, and reshape the traditional boundaries of our sport. Our senior colleagues are equally open to change, stepping forward as wise advisors whenever needed. As a result, we have managed to fundamentally reshape the entire structure of Kazakhstani chess in a remarkably short time.

The story of Kazakhstani chess from 2023 to 2025 is a clear example of partnership between the state, business, sports, and society – all working toward a common goal. And medals are far from the main metric here. Our young people are our top priority: we want to give them expanded opportunities for intellectual development and self-realization. I will return to this shortly, but for now, let’s quickly recap some of the major highlights of 2025.

First and foremost is the World Cadets & Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships held in Rhodes, Greece, this past spring. Our young talents – Alisha Bissaliyeva, Amirzhan Anetov, Elnaz Kaliakhmet, and Ergali Suleimen – made a historic breakthrough and became world champions. Kazakhstani juniors delivered an outstanding performance overall, winning 14 medals, including 10 golds, which put Kazakhstan first in the team standings.

Shortly after, in May, another landmark event took place: at a tournament in the UAE, Edgar Mamedov and our women’s team leader, Bibisara Assaubayeva, secured the necessary norms for the Grandmaster (GM) title. This was later officially confirmed by the FIDE Council. Edgar became Kazakhstan’s youngest grandmaster in history, while Bibisara firmly reaffirmed her status in elite world chess. These are truly historic achievements for our country.

Then came London. The KazChess team, featuring a blend of young talent and seasoned players, took silver at the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship. The competition was fierce, but our team went toe-to-toe with the strongest squads in the world and earned a spot on the podium.

Right before that, there was another unique and memorable event: the Kazakhstani team played a friendly match against members of the British House of Lords inside the Palace of Westminster itself. The gathering yielded many genuine moments of camaraderie, with chess becoming a living part of the diplomacy between Astana and London.

Capturing every single achievement of 2025 is no easy task. But one thing is certain: Kazakhstani chess players demonstrated exceptional skill and mastery around the globe.

Xeniya Balabayeva emerged victorious at the World Championship in Peru, while Bibisara Assaubayeva shone brightly at the prestigious FIDE Grand Swiss in Uzbekistan.

Mark Smirnov, Edgar Mamedov, and Sauat Nurgaliyev swept the field at the World Championship in Albania – against competitors from 84 countries, no less!

Our women’s national team delivered outstanding individual achievements at the World Team Championship in Spain, with Meruert Kamalidenova and Elnaz Kaliakhmet taking home individual gold medals.
Of course, there was the powerhouse performance by our cadets at the home World Championship in Almaty – clinching three gold medals and securing the overall team victory for the second consecutive year, leaving even their rivals from the US, China, and India with little chance.

You know, listing all of this, I genuinely felt the immense scale that Kazakhstani chess has now attained. It is truly inspiring to keep growing, exceeding our own expectations and surprising others along the way.

What else marked the chess world this past year?

Our Grant Program for Young Talents operated at full capacity. Starting in 2026, we are making it even more targeted and focused, as I mentioned previously.

At the beginning of 2025, our newly opened Chess House in Kokshetau hosted its first training camps for athletes, and by September, we had the honor of presenting the complex to the Head of State. I sincerely hope entrepreneurs across the country will support similar initiatives in other regions.

The Chess in Education program, integrated into primary school curricula, made remarkable strides. With the backing of regional administrations, we have already reached 1,400 educational institutions – nearing our target of 1,500 schools by 2027 well ahead of schedule. That accounts for over 60,000 children nationwide! We will definitely continue expanding our efforts here.

A highlight of the year was the KazChess Awards, where we gathered virtually the entire chess elite of Kazakhstan. Our athletes and coaches are exceptionally hardworking individuals, and they truly deserve to be in the media spotlight and feel like the stars they are. We will aim to make the 2026 awards even more spectacular.

The 2nd Senat Open Cup, organized in partnership with the Senate of the Parliament, was another major success. The 2025 edition set a record with over 3,000 participants across every region of the republic.

The project owed much of its success to the personal engagement of Senate Speaker Maulen Sagatkhanuly Ashimbayev. We agreed to continue developing it as an integral component of Kazakhstan’s unified chess ecosystem.

Back in December, we held an Extraordinary Congress of the KazChess Federation, where we finalized the decision to establish, register, and join the Turkic Chess Association.

Alongside Kazakhstan, its members will include Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. And “under the hood,” it features joint programs for youth and children, tournaments, training sessions, festivals, and cultural events. I can already tell there will be a tremendous amount of work ahead.

As a final touch to the year, we opened applications for a new cohort of the Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI), through which we support the development of chess across the entire Asian region and the Middle East.

In 2025, the national chess federations of Oman, Cambodia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Jordan, and Pakistan joined FACI. We will soon see who joins in 2026.

FACI is a strategic Kazakhstani initiative in the field of chess that translates into tangible opportunities for young players and coaches far beyond our borders.

The project has received overwhelmingly positive feedback and expressions of appreciation from our partners. By training and mentoring chess players from other nations, we not only grow as professionals ourselves, but also reinforce Kazakhstan’s standing on the global stage. So we will undoubtedly continue this project.

Dear friends!

At the start of the new year, it is worth asking ourselves: what do we want chess to look like in our country? In 2026 and beyond. Personally, I want chess to be a vital part of Kazakhstan’s sporting, cultural, and social agenda, continually strengthening its status and role.

Today, we have ideal conditions: the resources needed for growth are here, the political will of the country’s leadership is steadfast, and the ambition of our young snow leopards is boundless. Now, the main thing is to keep pace and accomplish everything we have planned.

Thank you for being with us throughout the entire year, for following the successes of Kazakhstani chess, and for sharing our worries when things didn’t go as planned. We feel your support and will do everything possible to bring you even more joy in the coming year.

Happy New Year, dostar!