Chess is the New Rock ‘n’ Roll!
On July 1, it wasn’t just the sun that made the shore of Issyk-Kul hot! The first Central and Northern Asia Junior Championship kicked off here, and the event is already making waves across the continent
Over 500 young talents from 6 countries (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan) have gathered to find out whose calculations are sharper and whose nerves are made of steel. The players range from 8 to 20 years old, but the level of play is strictly world-class! The lineup features International Masters (IM), FIDE Masters (FM), and even World Champions. They are playing for keeps!
But our main source of pride is the Moscow Region team! 🚀
We started off with the Rapid program (10+5 time control), and the results are absolutely explosive:
🥇 Svyatoslav Lisenkov treated himself to the ultimate 16th birthday present– GOLD in the Under-16 Open category! Happy birthday, champion! 🎂🏆
🥈 Alexandra Morozova is a true warrior! Deciding against the easy route, she played up in the older Under-18 category and grabbed the SILVER! Talk about absolute mental strength! 💪
🥇 Iliana Masaeva is the definition of sheer willpower! A long flight, timezone changes, and only 3 hours of sleep before the first round? No problem at all! Iliana takes the GOLD in the Under-12 category! Sleep less, win more! 😴👑
Our players who finished just a step away from the podium (Mikhail Markov, Sofia Gaer, Aleksandr Fedosov) put on a brilliant performance, fighting until the very last pawn! And this is only the beginning!
The tournament runs until July 9, with the main classic program still ahead of us. We look forward to more victories and keep cheering for our intellectual gladiators!