A historic night for chess solving under the FIDE banner

The 1st FIDE World Blitz Solving Championship, one of the noteworthy events on the FIDE calendar, concluded with its award ceremony alongside the International Team Tournament. At the end of the evening, the top finishers in different age categories received their trophies and medals, while the event once again demonstrated that chess is not limited to over-the-board play alone; young talents also shine in areas such as composition, calculation, speed, and accuracy. The blitz solving format, in particular, stands out as one of the purest tests of chess calculation, as it demands finding the most accurate variation in a very limited amount of time.

In the Open U-8 category, Kairat Abdul-Malik of Kazakhstan took first place, while Russian competitors Ibragim Atabekov and Mihail Shishov claimed silver and bronze respectively. In the Girls U-8 section, Shreyanshi Jain of India finished first; Belarusian player Miraslava Shatsila came second, and Venera Zhakisheva placed third. Awards in this age group were presented by Zoran Stanimirović, President of the Chess Federation of Vojvodina. These results underlined that chess solving has become a distinct international discipline producing strong competition even at very young ages.

In the Open U-12 category, Russia’s Daniil Kaminskii won the gold medal. India’s Aryan Mehta secured silver, while another Russian player, Konstantin Alekseev, completed the podium. In the Girls U-12 section, Alexandra Aymerich Sazonova emerged victorious, while Husnorakhon Khusnitdinova of Uzbekistan took silver and Zhansaya Sholpanbek of Kazakhstan earned bronze. The awards in this group were presented by Boban Nikolić, President of the Assembly of the Chess Federation of Serbia. With players from several countries sharing the podium, the championship also highlighted the broad geographical spread of solving chess among young competitors.

In the Open U-18 category, Mongolia’s Turbat Todmunkh captured the gold medal. Serbia, the host nation, celebrated two podium finishes through Aleksandar Kutanjac with silver and Aleksa Avramović with bronze. In the Girls U-18 section, Darya Efimova of Russia took first place, while Esther Prieto Rol of Spain finished second and Nika Venskaya of Belarus came third. The trophies and medals were presented by Igor Lukić, President of the Chess Federation of Central Serbia. As the first edition of the event, this championship represents an important step in FIDE’s effort to give the solving branch of chess greater visibility beyond classical, rapid, and blitz play, and it may well be seen as a sign of larger and more competitive editions to come.