Turkmen grandmaster Saparmurat Atabayev claimed third place at the international chess tournament Karshi Open-2026.

The tournament was held in Karshi from May 19 to 24 and was dedicated to the memory of Ismat Shukurov.

The competition was played under the Swiss system over nine rounds with classical time control.

A total of 56 chess players from 10 countries participated in the event.

Scoring 7 points out of 9, Vitaliy Bernadsky (Ukraine, FIDE rating 2507) took first place on tiebreaks. Saidakbar Saidaliyev (Uzbekistan, FIDE rating 2454) finished second, while Saparmurat Atabayev (Turkmenistan, FIDE rating 2471) secured third place.

In the final round, Saparmurat, playing with the black pieces, defeated Israeli grandmaster Evgeny Alekseev, who had been leading the tournament at that moment.

Saparmurat’s cousin, Yusup Atabayev, also participated in Karshi Open-2026 and finished in eighth place with 6 points.

Saparmurat Atabayev is 27 years old and is considered one of the strongest modern chess players of Turkmenistan. Born in Ashgabat, he was regarded from an early age as one of the country’s most promising players. Among his major achievements are victory at the “White Elephant” tournament in Türkiye in 2024, winning the international UzChess Cup Futures tournament in Tashkent, earning grandmaster norms at international Asian competitions, and regularly representing the national team of Turkmenistan.

Saparmurat’s first coach was Honored Trainer of Turkmenistan Aydogdy Atabayev, who has remained his mentor for many years.

The results of the Karshi Open-2026 tournament can be viewed on the specialized server: https://s3.chess-results.com/tnr1392674.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&fed=TKM&flag=30&SNode=S0.

ORIENT