Euronews Spotlights Turkmenistan’s Rise in Global Chess Arena

Euronews has published a feature article highlighting Turkmenistan’s growing success in the world of chess, citing the country’s remarkable progress in establishing itself as a serious contender on the global chess scene.

According to the article, Turkmenistan has made a major leap from organizing regional competitions to building a structured and strategic national chess development system, The Caspian Post reports per Turkmen media.

In 2024, the country hosted 130 FIDE-rated tournaments, with the momentum continuing in 2025 through a nationwide Grand Prix series covering all regions.

Euronews commended the country’s strong emphasis on nurturing young talent. Children as young as six are being introduced to structured chess training and tournaments, with many already competing on international platforms. Young Turkmen players are steadily improving their global rankings, supported by national training camps and online seminars conducted by international chess masters.

The article also celebrated Turkmenistan’s top chess figures, including grandmasters Saparmyrat Atabayev, Mesgen Amanov, and Yusup Atabayev. It further highlighted a major milestone in gender representation, noting that FIDE Master Lala Shohradova became the first female chess player from Turkmenistan to compete in the Women’s World Cup in 2025.

Euronews concluded that these achievements are the result of a focused and systematic approach spearheaded by the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, which is successfully fostering a new generation of players ready to represent their nation on the international stage.