Kazakh team wins bronze at FIDE World University Chess Championship

The third-place match between KNUS and the University of Texas at Dallas proved to be one of the most thrilling and closely contested encounters of the tournament.

The U.S. team won the first match 2.5-1.5. GM Kazybek Nogerbek drew with GM Samant Aditya, while IM Arystan Isanzhulov defeated Yair Parkhov. IM Meruert Kamalidenova lost to GM Koustav Chatterjee, and Alisher Mazhkenov was defeated by WGM Maili-Jade Ouellet.

KNUS responded with a 2.5-1.5 victory in the second match. Isanzhulov and Kamalidenova each earned a full point for the Kazakh team, while Nogerbek added another half-point with a draw.

With the teams level, the bronze-medal contest went to a tiebreak — a single blitz match with a 3+2 time control. Nogerbek's game against Aditya was the last to finish, and with the University of Texas at Dallas already on two points, only a win would keep KNUS in contention. Nogerbek delivered under pressure, leveling the blitz match at 2-2 and sending the battle for bronze to Armageddon.

Each team fielded one player for the decisive Armageddon game. Following the draw, the teams' top boards — Nogerbek and Aditya — faced each other once again, with the Kazakh player securing the victory and bronze for KNUS.

GM Kazybek Nogerbek said he felt a strong sense of responsibility representing not only his team and university, but Kazakhstan as a whole. He noted that every team member contributed to the result, while his previous experience in blitz and Armageddon games helped him remain composed in the decisive moments.

Ural State Mining University, competing under the FIDE flag, won the championship, while the United States' Saint Louis University finished second.

Darmen Sadvakasov, First Vice President of the KCF, expressed his delight at KNUS winning bronze, noting that the team had been close to defeat in the tiebreak before Nogerbek turned the match around and went on to win the decisive Armageddon game. He added that the tournament had been a success, noting positive feedback from students who traveled to Almaty from six continents. He also highlighted the city's attractions and said Kazakhstan's initiative to host the inaugural World University Team Chess Championship had proved successful.

The inaugural World University Team Chess Championship brought together 16 university teams in Almaty. A total of 79 teams from 49 countries competed for a place in the final stage, with eight advancing through online qualification and another eight receiving invitations from the organizers. Following the group stage, the top eight progressed to the playoffs, which featured the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match and final.

The championship was held at the Farabi Hub of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and organized by the FIDE, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, and the akimat of Almaty.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubaeva was shortlisted for the first FIDE Excellence Awards, established by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).