Russian players are in the lead in many groups.
The FIDE World Cadet and Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships among boys and girls under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 years old have kicked off in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia.
The rapid chess competition features 437 young players from 40 countries, including 97 Russians.
Three rounds took place on the first day. Russian players are in the lead in many groups.
Marsel Gatin and Mikhail Markov remain undefeated in the U8 open category. In the girls’ group, Aiat Gasanova is chasing the leaders.
Arkhip Morozov is among the leaders in the U10 open tournament. Aleksandra Aimerich-Sazonova, Svetlana Belanova, and Varvara Volkova each scored 2 points in the girls’ competition.
Aidan Gafurov and Daniil Kaminskiy have 2.5 points apiece in the U12 open tournament. In the U12 girls’ category, Alisa Genrietta Yunker is one step behind the leaders.
Fedor Antipov, Matfey Yurasov, and Ethan Guo (USA) show a perfect result in the U14 open group. In the U14 girls’ category, Kristina Zavivaeva has 3 points.
Semen Rumyantsev, David Kaufman, Nikolay Averin, and Aldiyar Zhauynbay (Kazakhstan) are leading the race in the U16 event. Uliana Dudkina, Veronika Iudina, and Elnaz Kaliakhmet (Kazakhstan) remain undefeated in the girls’ competition.
Igor Vershinin is half a point behind the leaders in the U18 open tournament. Olesia Vlasova and Afruza Khamdamova (Uzbekistan) are in the lead among U18 girls.
Four more rounds will be held on Thursday, April 16. The games begin at 4:30 PM Moscow time.
Tournament on Chess-Results
Official website
Photos by Artem Pugachev