18-year-old Alua Nurman secures spot at FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027
Woman grandmaster from Kazakhstan 18-year-old Alua Nurman finished as a runner-up in the women's category at a freestyle chess tournament Grenke Chess Festival in Karlsruhe, Germany, Qazinform News Agency reports.
In the women's standings at the 2026 Grenke Freestyle Chess Open, Kazakhstan’s Alua Nurman scored 6.0 points to finish in second place. She tied for the top score with Harika Dronavalli of India and Dinara Wagner of Germany, who were placed first and third, respectively, based on tiebreak criteria.
All three - Harika, Nurman, and Wagner - secured the three qualification spots for the 2027 Freestyle Chess Women's World Championship.
To add, Kazakhstani Alua Nurman finished 39th overall.
It is worth noting that during a memorable Grenke Open clash against Magnus Carlsen, Kazakh young chess player Alua Nurman secured a pre-game selfie with the world No.1, resulting in its swift confiscation.
Earlier, Qazinform reported after the first round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva has three points and sits in seventh place, second from the bottom of the standings.