World Youth Championships 2026: Kazakhstan wins seven of the twelve titles
Published · By TG, the site operator
The 2026 FIDE World Championships for players under 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 are over. They were held in Roquetas de Mar, in the province of Almería in southern Spain, and FIDE published its closing report on 21 October. Play began on 13 October with 721 players from 82 countries, divided into twelve sections: an open and a girls' event for each of the six age groups. Kazakhstan took the team trophy with seven gold, two silver and four bronze medals, ahead of Mongolia with two golds and Uzbekistan with one gold, three silver and one bronze.
The twelve new world champions
- Open: under-7 Makar Chernyshov (Kazakhstan), under-9 Myron Netrebka (Ukraine), under-11 Amirzhan Anetov (Kazakhstan), under-13 Danis Kuandykuly (Kazakhstan), under-15 Aldiyar Zhauynbay (Kazakhstan), under-17 Zanas Nainys (Lithuania).
- Girls: under-7 Leila Aldazharova (Kazakhstan), under-9 Amaliya Yedresheva (Kazakhstan), under-11 Milana Filippova (Kazakhstan), under-13 Lazizabonu Komiljonova (Uzbekistan), under-15 Batkhishigt Enkhnamuun (Mongolia), under-17 Batpelden Buyankhishig (Mongolia).
A perfect score and three tiebreaks
The standout result came in the girls' under-11, where top seed Milana Filippova won all eleven of her games, and two of those wins came against the players who finished second and third. In the open under-13, top seed Danis Kuandykuly dropped only half a point, scored 10.5/11 and finished a point and a half clear of the field.
Other titles were decided by the smallest of margins. Three titles were settled on tiebreak after a tie for first place: the girls' under-9, where Amaliya Yedresheva, only the 18th seed at the start, shared the top score of 8.5/11 with two others; the girls' under-17, where Batpelden Buyankhishig and Kesaria Mgeladze of Georgia both made 9.5/11; and the open under-17, where Zanas Nainys was one of three players on 8.5/11. Spanish players took silver and bronze in that last section.
A shorter clock for classical chess
Every section was an 11-round Swiss, the usual format for big youth events: nobody is knocked out, and each round players are paired with others on similar scores. The new element was the time control. Each player had 45 minutes for the whole game, plus 30 seconds added for every move from the first one, and all games counted for FIDE ratings. FIDE calls this a fast version of classical chess and says this was the first official youth championship to use it.
What it means for your games here
The youngest sections are a reminder that nobody needs a rating to start. According to FIDE, more than half of the players in the open under-7 event had no FIDE rating when the championship began. On this site, games against the computer have no clock at all, which makes them a good place to build the habit that a 30-second increment rewards later: before each move, look at every check, capture and threat for both sides, and only then decide. Our routine for quiet positions sets out that checklist step by step, and ten common beginner mistakes shows what it catches.
To practise, open the AI settings with the gear button above the board and start on Easy, which mostly plays random legal moves. Against the computer the Undo button lets you step back and try a different idea. When Easy feels comfortable, move up to Normal or Hard. Your wins, losses and draws against the computer are kept on a scoreboard stored in this browser, so you can follow your own progress.
Sources
- Kazakhstan dominates World U7–U17 Championships in Roquetas de Mar — FIDE, 21 October 2026
- World Championships U7–U17 2026: Young talents make their mark in Spain — FIDE, 14 October 2026
- FIDE World Championships U7-U17: Registration now open — FIDE, 18 August 2026
- Frequently asked questions — chessplayonline.com
Written by the operator of this site from the sources listed above. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected] and it will be corrected.