On the evening of April 21, Ruslan Berdenov, Deputy Akim of Shymkent, was shot and wounded in an apparent assassination attempt near the city hall. The incident occurred under unclear circumstances and has sparked widespread public attention and speculation Preliminary reports indicate that Berdenov was hit three times by a Saiga-12 shotgun who reportedly accelerated the vehicle to subdue the attacker “The assailant waited near the Akimat and shot at close range when the official exited the building. The driver intervened by striking the shooter with the car,” journalist Mikhail Kozachkov reported on Telegram According to the Telegram channel Letters to the President the suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Zhienbai Yernar Zhienbayuly He is reported to be a subordinate of Berdenov A criminal investigation has been launched under charges of attempted murder Berdenov sustained gunshot wounds to his right thigh and shoulder The city’s health department stated that as of the morning of April 22 he had regained consciousness and was in a stable but serious condition Following the attack, various unverified theories were circulating on social media with one suggesting the motive was personal jealousy this was publicly denied by Berdenov’s business partner Alibekov suggested instead that the incident may be linked to Berdenov’s recent anti-corruption efforts in the construction sector The Akimat also rejected claims that the suspect’s wife had been harassed by Berdenov stating that such allegations “do not correspond to reality.” stating that “any premature assessments can be regarded as interference in the investigation.” The party emphasized its stance that “violence in any form is unacceptable.” Law enforcement agencies have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and all circumstances surrounding the attack are being examined Ruslan Berdenov was appointed Deputy Akim of Shymkent in February 2025 the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament where he worked on the Finance and Budget Committee Berdenov is 39 years old and fluent in Kazakh but couldn't stop Goryachkina from clinching the sole first place.  The game with most at stake in Friday's final round in Shymkent was Tsolakidou-Tan with the Greek women's number-one able to gain a grandmaster norm and second place with a win since she needed victory to have a chance of tying Goryachkina for first place In the end it was the Chinese former women's world champion's day as she won in just 22 moves with the black pieces in a game that had left the trodden path as early as move eight That powerful win was Tan's fifth in Shymkent The former women's world champion started 2024 as the world number-eight with a 2521 rating and a peak rating of 2530, but now she's up to 2561 and world number-three, as well as having earned a world championship rematch against GM Ju Wenjun at the age of 33 Tan is currently just two live rating points behind her great rival and compatriot That performance wasn't quite enough to win in Shymkent since Tan came up against an inspired Goryachkina who blew away the field with a five-game winning streak mid-tournament She commented after the final game: "There’s nothing without luck Somehow in the middle of the tournament I got carried away and won so many games in a row that I crawled to the finish line." With Tan winning the final game there was some pressure for Goryachkina against Salimova but her position was never more than mildly unpleasant That was Goryachkina's first Grand Prix of the 2024-5 series while the two players competing in their second tied for third place and now have the early lead in the overall series—each player competes in three of the six events We've seen that Tsolakidou finished with a loss, while Assaubayeva, the overall leader after finishing sole second in the Tbilisi Women's Grand Prix, made a quiet draw—IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul's only non-decisive game of the whole event They picked up €9,500 each for third place GMs Koneru Humpy and Kateryna Lagno also made a quiet draw as they wound down difficult events with three draws each, but IM Divya Deshmukh was in no mood to see her tournament end with a whimper She went on the attack against GM Elisabeth Paehtz the only player not to win a game in Shymkent but it nearly backfired as she found herself scrambling to avoid defeat in the run-up to the time control She made a couple of moves with two seconds to spare and may have been a little relieved when Paehtz decided not to pick up a pawn and play on in the final position That's all for the Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix with the next event in the series slated to take place in Monaco in February You can replay the broadcast on FIDE's YouTube channel. The games can also be checked out on our dedicated 2024 Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix events page.  The live broadcast was hosted by IM Irine Sukandar and GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko The 2024 Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix was the second of six legs of the 2024-2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix The 10-player round-robin ran October 30-November 8 in Shymkent with players also earning Grand Prix points Each of the 20 players competes in three events; the top two qualify for the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament that decides the World Championship challenger Colin McGourty led news at Chess24 from its launch until it merged with Chess.com a decade later he got into chess writing when he set up the website Chess in Translation after previously studying Slavic languages and literature in St The Big Database 2025 contains more than 11 million games from 1475 to 2024 The International SAMBO Federation (FIAS) is a non-governmental non-profit organization that unites National SAMBO Federations FIAS is the only internationally recognized organization responsible for the development of SAMBO worldwide The FIAS website regularly features SAMBO news as well as SAMBO videos and photos from SAMBO competitions It also includes the official competition calendar of the International SAMBO Federation and other documents regulating tournaments in Sport SAMBO Goryachkina is now the new sole leader of the Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix with over half the games played 56 percent of the games have been decisive so far with a three-game winning streak pushing Goryachkina into the lead after Tan Zhongyi mistakenly castled into a kingside attack that was led by Black's g-pawn "Maybe she mixed something up because the position was dangerous for her... It was quite weird that in this relatively calm Italian I played g5 for the second game in a row!" which soon came as Goryachkina finished her opponent off with brutal efficiency The only other unbeaten player in Shymkent is local hero Assaubayeva who took the sole lead by taking down Humpy The Indian star went for a rare opening line and then collapsed after playing the disastrous 23...f5? That crushing win puts 20-year-old Assaubayeva right on course to get the third grandmaster norm she needs to earn the title Another player for whom the full GM title is only a matter of time is 18-year-old Divya who has already crossed the required 2500-rating that wasn't unexpected since she was playing against the tournament's other four 2500+ players in the first four rounds "It’s been a tough one so far because I think I played all the strongest players in the first five rounds it was really tough for me to bounce back immediately because I’m playing Tan Zhongyi the next day [she drew] I’m proud of myself—so far it’s been good!" I'm proud of myself—so far it's been good which saw Munguntuul continue her record of winning with Black and losing with White had an element of good fortune: "She actually played quite well and I honestly just got lucky because I think until she played 36.Rd1 Divya was selling herself short since this was a rare case of her having a healthy advantage on the clock as well as a big positional edge but it's true the rook move did suddenly turn an unpleasant position into a dead lost one All the tactics worked out beautifully for Divya!  Tsolakidou has the opposite schedule to Divya as she now faces only 2500-rated players in the remaining four rounds but she goes into that sequence after bouncing back from her first Grand Prix loss to defeat Paehtz in a long and complex maneuvering struggle We could very easily have had all-five decisive games, since GM Kateryna Lagno had IM Nurgyul Salimova on the ropes but she missed the best lines in her opponent's time trouble and had to settle for "stopping the bleeding" with a draw after two painful losses.  the players return with the 2500-rated players all getting the white pieces and sure to play for wins—including Goryachkina who can make it four wins in a row if she defeats last-placed Paehtz You can watch the broadcast on FIDE's YouTube channel. The games can also be checked out on our dedicated 2024 Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix events page.  The 2024 Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix is the second of six legs of the 2024-2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix The 10-player round-robin runs October 30-November 8 in Shymkent The assassination attempt on the deputy akim (head of the local government) in Shymkent Kazakhstan’s third-largest city with a population exceeding one million designated a city of republican significance rarely sees violence of this nature targeting high-ranking officials was wounded by shotgun fire from a smoothbore weapon on the steps of the city administration building which struck him in the thigh and the shoulder The attack appears less like a calculated contract killing and more like an act of personal retribution Despite its entrenched presence in Russian criminal culture the phenomenon of contract killings has not firmly taken root in Kazakhstan or the broader Central Asian region several contract-style assassinations have left a deep imprint on the public consciousness The following cases are among the most significant the general director of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant This was the first confirmed contract killing in post-Soviet Kazakhstan Svichinsky, who had risen through the ranks at Karmet Combine from mechanic to general director, had recently succeeded Oleg Soskovets who later served in both the Kazakh and Russian governments He was shot in the back of the head at the plant’s gatehouse President Nursultan Nazarbayev took personal control of the investigation eventually uncovered the truth: the hit was arranged by a demoted former deputy of Svichinsky enlisted three Lithuanian nationals staying at a local hotel to carry out the murder Following Svichinsky’s death, the plant’s fortunes declined. It was eventually sold to Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal’s Ispat Corporation Almaty saw its first major contract killing the head of the Almatygorstroy construction firm and his driver Dmitry Tarasov were murdered in the courtyard of Milgram’s home The case went unsolved until 1998 when a traffic stop led to the arrest of Zakir Salakhutdinov After killing a police officer during the stop Salakhutdinov was detained and eventually confessed to the murder of Milgram Investigators discovered that Milgram had accused his business partner Li allegedly paid Salakhutdinov $20,000 to carry out the killing In 1999, Salakhutdinov was sentenced to death and Li received a 15-year sentence, although he was released early due to illness businessman Nurlan Turysov and his wife Bayan Atabaeva were murdered in their Almaty apartment Investigators believe Turysov was acquainted with the killers He was shot twice in the temple and once in the back of the head his wife attempted to flee and was attacked at the window suggesting the killers were searching for something specific the couple had planned to travel to Astana that evening; tickets were found in Turysov’s pocket He had just returned from a conference in Bishkek on Central Asian cooperation in metrology the death of prominent banker Yerzhan Tatishev was initially ruled a hunting accident Tatishev was shot in the face by a shotgun handed to him while hunting wolves from an SUV Years later, however, Muratkhan Tokmadi, a businessman with a criminal background Tokmadi claimed the murder had been ordered by Mukhtar Ablyazov Tatishev’s former business partner and erstwhile head of BTA Bank Ablyazov had earlier lost his share in the bank amid political pressure and left the country, only to return following Tatishev’s death to head BTA. He later faced embezzlement charges and again fled Kazakhstan In 2018, a Kazakh court found Ablyazov guilty in absentia of orchestrating Tatishev’s murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment bemoaning his plight to be a case of “political persecution” The most politically sensitive case came in 2006 with the murder of former Minister of Information Altynbek Sarsenbayev and his two aides Senate Chief of Staff Yerzhan Utembayev was convicted as the mastermind and former police officer Rustem Ibragimov received a life sentence as the triggerman The case quickly became a lightning rod for political debate developments shifted the blame to Rakhat Aliyev the controversial former son-in-law of President Nazarbayev Sarsenbayev’s colleagues in the opposition had long pointed to Aliyev as a more likely suspect In 2014, Utembayev’s role was reduced to that of an accomplice Aliyev was found dead in an Austrian detention center under suspicious circumstances Reprimand and Dismissal Linked to Berdenov Attack The attack on Ruslan Berdenov is believed to have stemmed from the reprimand and subsequent dismissal of Yernar Zhienbay a former municipal construction company director The suspect was detained after being stopped by Berdenov’s driver Berdenov remains hospitalized in a serious condition while investigations continue to uncover further details with a number of relatively uneventful draws GM Kateryna Lagno played the Exchange French against IM Divya Deshmukh and the opening lived up to its drawish reputation 18-year-old Deshmukh was happy with how her FIDE Women's Grand Prix debut was going: "So far The Indian number-two noted that her incredible year crowned by winning double gold at the Women's Chess Olympiad "It’s actually been a quite good year and it’s a pity because now it’s a little hard to find more motivation but I’m trying my best and this tournament is so prestigious so I’m going to give my best," she said in the post-game interview.  Tsolakidou vs. IM Nurgyul Salimova was a game where Salimova briefly had chances but the tricky endgame liquidated into a draw A similar situation played out in GM Aleksandra Goryachkina's game against Assaubayeva where the computer was giving Goryachkina a substantial advantage that fizzled out the moment she swapped off queens The remaining games were where most of the day's drama took place who had been ground down in six hours the day before and hadn't appreciated being approached for an interview afterward Yesterday was the first time of my entire career when the press team approached me after a 6 hours lasting defeat asking me for an interview She faced Mongolia's Munguntuul, who played the same Caro-Kann she'd played against Paehtz a month earlier in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest but it turned out both players were prepared for the hyper-sharp variation that appeared on the board In fact the first new move of the game was Paehtz's last which ran into the crushing rejoinder 17...Ba3!! Ouch! Elisabeth Paehtz resigns in 17 moves after Batkhuyag Munguntuul finds the devastating 17...Ba3!!https://t.co/sjtbGkfC85 pic.twitter.com/DhffG7uB3M a 37-year-old mother-of-three playing her first Grand Prix in 12 years had been aware of the idea before the game "I thought Elisabeth probably didn’t notice that there was the Ba3 move—it’s not such an obvious move!"  Tan played the longest game for a second day in a row as she went astray in the follow-up to what began as a sound knight sacrifice In the end it all came down to mutual time-trouble and a decision on the fateful move 40 before Humpy would have gained another 30 minutes to think and Humpy would likely have gone on to win but with just over 20 seconds on her clock she opted for 40.Kxf4 when the world championship challenger found the only drawing move Friday's round three will see our first clash of the leaders Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi are now effectively in a two-horse race to win the Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix Munguntuul is yet to make a draw in Shymkent and has lost all four games she's played with the white pieces Goryachkina went into their game on a four-game winning streak and duly made it five as she cut through her opponent's defenses in a Sveshnikov Sicilian like a hot knife through butter Goryachkina, one of just six women ever to have been rated over 2600, has gained almost 20 rating points and not just overtaken but opened a gulf to GM Koneru Humpy, while she can catch fourth-placed Lei TIngjie if she wins again It's not all about Goryachkina, however, since former World Champion and current World Championship Challenger Tan is also building on what's already a career-high rating and could overtake the current World Champion Ju Wenjun before the Shymkent Grand Prix is over.  Tan also started fast with the black pieces but just when White seemed to have got right back in the game the 21-year-old Bulgarian decided to go all-out for the attack with 18.Nd6+?—it backfired badly then trapped Salimova's queen to clinch victory IM Stavroula Tsolakidou couldn't keep pressure on the leaders but had no reason to complain about a well-played draw against GM Kateryna Lagno, while the 14-move draw in GM Elisabeth Paehtz vs Humpy spoke of both players wanting a disappointing event to be over.  The one draw that could have ended decisively saw Divya get into trouble against Assaubayeva because the opening was a disaster from my side and I was defending the entire game trying to somehow hold." Assaubayeva cheerfully agreed in their post-game joint interview: "For me the opening was very good and I have a dream position from the opening!" The decisive moment came when Divya was down to 1.5 minutes to Assaubayeva's seven and played 33...Kf8 but she squandered it with one careless move as the game hurtled toward a draw Thursday's penultimate round will be huge for the overall outcome of the tournament The Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix is the second of six tournaments on the 2024-2025 series that will decide two spots in the next Women's FIDE Candidates Tournament.  Each Grand Prix is a 10-player classical single round-robin with the 20 participants (discounting replacements) each playing in three of the six events the third largest city in Kazakhstan after the better known—also from a chess perspective—Almaty and Astana A curiosity is that only Assaubayeva and Tsolakidou play again after playing in the first event in Tbilisi, where they both finished close behind winner IM Alina Kashlinskaya Tbilisi Women's Grand Prix Final Standings They were also the only players to win in round one in Tbilisi and they did the same two months later in Shymkent Local hero Assaubayeva, who just missed out on her third grandmaster norm in Tbilisi, was the first player to pick up a full point. She summed up her win over IM Nurgyul Salimova bluntly: I know she didn’t know the variation Somewhere she made a mistake and somehow I won." still preferred Salimova's position until 14.d7+?! was not the move but the 20 minutes it took to play with the 21-year-old Bulgarian finding herself almost an hour behind on the clock and Assaubayeva went on to score a confident win she owed her victory to incredible persistence Paehtz's knight sacrifice on move 33 of an Alapin Sicilian was flawed and eventually broke through after a rook that was stuck on b7 for 40 moves moved unnecessarily Tan was required to prove she could checkmate with a knight and rook vs Another former women's world champion, GM Anna Ushenina The two games that were drawn were the two clashes where players from the same country were deliberately paired against each other a regulation aimed at reducing the risk of collusion later in the event when players know what results they need but in this case we saw nothing of the sort Indian numbers one and two, GMs Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh played an equal game that fizzled out into a logical draw Meanwhile the battle between world numbers five and seven, GM Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina seemed sure to end decisively after Lagno won the opening battle by surprising with the Italian and then the rare move 6.h3 and the lion's share of her advantage slipped away None of the leaders clash in Thursday's round two and Tsolakidou can all potentially reach 2/2 Those results mean that we now have a three-way tie for the lead The quietest game of the day was Paehtz's draw with IM Bibisara Assaubayeva but the 39-year-old German women's number-one gave a remarkable nine-minute interview afterward "I’m in an age where I don’t care so much anymore because basically my career is almost over." Paehtz explained she was playing the Grand Prix only because of unexpectedly being given a wildcard which may have prolonged her chess career by a year: "Since already two years I basically wanted to stop and it never happened but next year I want to go for a certain surgery and I hope this is going to work out then I guess I won’t have much time." She talked about going into coaching or perhaps using her chess decision-making experience in business while also giving a surprising answer when asked about her continuing passion for chess: "Honestly speaking I never loved the game—I loved the world around the game." I never loved the game—I loved the world around the game The other draw is intriguing as it felt all the winning chances were on the side of Tan, given IM Divya Deshmukh's serious time trouble gave Divya a real chance to play for a win That draw for leader Tan meant that she could be caught Goryachkina did what no one had managed in 12 games in the 2024-2025 Women's Grand Prix—she beat Tsolakidou simplifying the position to her advantage and converting smoothly an elegant final move—Black can't avoid ending up a piece down.   if Tsolakidou had chosen another option on move 26 and hadn't allowed Goryachkina to go on to win a pawn by force with 28.Bxc4! after outlasting Salimova in an epic clash but she hit back brilliantly in the middle of the game when Humpy grabbed an at least semi-poisoned pawn What doomed the young Bulgarian was her refusal to capture either of her Indian opponent's queenside pawns when given the chance and Humpy went on to push those pawns to victory Munguntuul's victory, the day's other win, didn't impact the standings too significantly except for leaving one of the pre-tournament favorites, GM Kateryna Lagno Munguntuul's tournament so far has been quite a ride Lagno seemed to be doing well against Munguntuul's Caro-Kann More mistakes followed until Lagno gave up her queen in a desperate attempt to prolong the struggle Those results saw Goryachkina increase her lead to a full point with just three rounds to go There was an air of inevitability about the result of Goryachkina unbeaten and on a run of three wins in a row but an opposite-colored bishop endgame remained drawish until 48.e3? a move that only cost a tempo and improved the position of the white bishop That fourth win in a row makes Goryachkina a big favorite to win the event especially since she now faces the two lowest-rated players in her final three games.  It's not just that Goryachkina maintained her sole lead who picked up her first win after taking complete control in an offbeat Sicilian The maneuvering phase ended when Assaubayeva picked up a pawn on the queenside only to find herself helpless on the other side of the board That allowed two players to leapfrog Assaubayeva into second place—Tan and Tsolakidou Munguntuul had scored 2/2 with the black pieces but Tan dodged that by choosing 1.d4 and went on to grind out a 66-move win Munguntuul could still have defended with 55...Re1 but down to just five minutes on her clock she went for 55...Ne3? and allowed her opponent to win a crucial pawn with the Greek star making light of a finish that will see her face four 2500-players in a row: "I’m very motivated as usual and I really like playing 2500s—I feel like it gives me an extra motivation to try to play even better Against the Indian women's number-one she correctly grabbed a pawn on e4 even though it entailed an exchange sacrifice "I had maybe easier moves and her pieces weren’t that coordinated I just feel like she should have played a bit more energetically The day's one draw was a well-played 52-move clash between IMs Divya Deshmukh and Nurgyul Salimova.  Munguntuul stands in the way of Goryachkina and a fifth win in a row Lagno will be a big test for Tsolakidou and her hopes of winning the event All News FIDE News Chess News Top Top Federations Main Page / Search Tournaments Titles Transfers Calculators Download FIDE Circuit Women's Events '24-'25 Open Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2023-2025 All Tournaments Main Events About FIDE Handbook Documents Financial Reports Officials Commissions & Committees Federations Affiliated Organizations Affiliated Members Honourable Dignitaries Chart The FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Shymkent reached its halfway mark in dramatic fashion with four of five games ending decisively in Round 5 Aleksandra Goryachkina emerged as the sole leader after scoring a brilliant victory over Tan Zhongyi Bibisara Assaubayeva outplayed Humpy Koneru Divya Deshmukh netted her first full point against Munguntuul Batkhuyag and Stavroula Tsolakidou ground out a hard-fought win over Elisabeth Paehtz Nurgyul Salimova and Kateryna Lagno drew their game the round before a rest day is one of the quieter ones where players tend to finish quickly as they reach the first tournament milestone and overall a sense of players fighting to win and not settle for draws Tan Zhongyi – Aleksandra Goryachkina 0-1 The most anticipated matchup of the round was between former World Champion Tan Zhongyi and former World Champion challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina and it was undoubtedly the most exciting game to watch quickly became extremely dynamic as Goryachkina intentionally allowed a weak pawn structure this risky game plan gave her a lot of space and opportunity to launch a kingside attack Goryachkina obtained a strong early advantage and control of the game as she mobilized all of her pieces for the kingside assault but it was too late – Black’s attack was already deadly and Goryachkina played with precision to finish it off What makes Goryachkina so scary to play against is that she takes every player out of their comfort zones making them enter positions where logical continuations (as Tan played) are not the best Munguntuul Batkhuyag – Divya Deshmukh 0-1 Determined to avoid the time trouble that cost her spoiling a winning position against Tan in Round 4 establishing a 50-minute lead on the clock by move 16 And this was a good approach – stemming from the Ruy Lopez Black achieved a good position out of the opening holding an advantage that she would keep throughout The young Indian star said in an interview that she felt that she got lucky as her opponent blundered at a certain point This happened on move 38 as White made consecutive bad trades when she just had to keep the position as is But luck was not the only ingredient in Divya’s success as her tactical eye helped her pounce at the correct moment spotting a combination that had her win a couple of pawns Nurgyul Salimova – Kateryna Lagno 1/2-1/2 The game that started with the Queen’s Gambit Declined saw early trades and an asymmetrical pawn structure with Black holding a 3-2 queenside majority Lagno engineered some activity by pushing her pawns and was first to obtain a slight advantage It looked like Black would capitalize on this as Kateryna played all the best moves until reaching a critical position where she did not find the correct plan Nurgyul did not miss her chance and reached a draw with an accurate play Bibisara Assaubayeva – Humpy Koneru 1-0 Uncharacteristic of her usual aggressive style She showed her range by first playing a good positional game – creating a queenside weakness in the form of an isolated pawn and the position was equal until Humpy made the grave mistake of unnecessarily opening the kingside Bibisara immediately punished this decision playing with surgical accuracy and a natural flair for attack Stavroula Tsolakidou – Elisabeth Paehtz 1-0 The longest game of the day spanned five hours which could have ended earlier as Tsolakidou actually obtained an advantage by move 16 already and soon it became equal as Black’s pieces finally came to life and joined the game Tsolakidou would regain the advantage and what would ensue was a long grind to convert it Elisabeth attempted to create some counterplay but with her queen being the only active piece White eventually liquidated into a winning endgame and sealed the deal by move 63 After a tough loss to Goryachkina yesterday Stavroula bounced back admirably and goes into the rest day with her second victory of the tournament with many opportunities for others to challenge her position The rest day will offer players a chance to recharge and step away from the intensity of hotel-based tournament life they’ll return to the board on November 5th for Round 6 where new pairings promise continued excitement and shifting dynamics on the leaderboard Goryachkina’s game was an excellent one that should be seen. There was no specific moment, as she played brilliantly throughout. You can view the full game here a standout one was Bibisara’s swift response to Humpy’s blunder: The game continued: 24.exf5 Bxe5 and suddenly 25.Nd5 Now there are all kinds of threats including Ne7 and d4 Although not accurate according to the computer this move was great from a practical standpoint as Black has no good responses the a2-g8 diagonal has opened for the bishop The game ended shortly: 31…Rc8 32.cxd6 Rc5 33.Qh4 Kg8 34.Bb3 1-0 The sixth round of the second leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Tuesday November 5th More information about the event, including the regulations and details of the pairings, as well as live games can be found on the official website: womengrandprix.fide.com Photos: Konstantin Chalabov and Viktoriya Abramova © 2025 FIDE International Chess Federation stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of FIDE International Chess Federation Mark your calendars as the second leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024-2025 is set to take place in Shymkent with an exciting line-up of some of the strongest female chess players in the world who will face off in a 9-round round-robin tournament From the 2024 FIDE Candidates winner Tan Zhongyi to the recent Olympiad gold medalist Divya Deshmukh there is an excellent blend of rising talent and experienced grandmasters with each player vying for valuable points and a chance to secure a place in the FIDE Women’s Candidates The Shymkent leg of the Grand Prix series follows the successful first event in Tbilisi which saw outstanding performances and thrilling games putting her at the top of the Grand Prix leaderboard with 130 points Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva and Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou both had successful debuts in Tbilisi is one of the brightest young talents in the world of chess She has achieved significant milestones from a very young age and continues to impress with her skill and dedication Assaubayeva has won multiple titles in different age categories including the World Youth Chess Championships establishing her as a top competitor on the youth circuit she made history by becoming the youngest-ever Women’s World Blitz Champion at the age of 17 a remarkable achievement in her burgeoning career proving that her first victory was no accident As she continues to develop her skills and gain experience Bibisara Assaubayeva is poised to become an even more prominent figure in women’s chess Bibisara’s participation in the second leg of the Women’s Grand Prix 2024–2025 series will provide her with further opportunities to compete against top-tier opponents and enhance her reputation on the global stage is one of the most promising young talents in the chess world and is the No She has achieved significant milestones from a young age and continues to make her mark on the international stage One of Tsolakidou’s significant achievements was her performance in the World Youth Chess Championships (U14 showcasing her talent and potential at a young age Stavroula’s participation in the second leg of the Women’s Grand Prix 2024–2025 series will provide her with further opportunities to compete against top-tier opponents and make a name for herself among the global elite is known for her positional and strategic mastery Her deep understanding of chess fundamentals and ability to outmaneuver opponents in complex positions make her a formidable player A highlight of her career was winning the 2019 Women’s Candidates Tournament which earned her the right to challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Chess Championship Although she narrowly lost in the tie-breaks her performance earned her widespread acclaim she won the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Cup and continues to be a dominant force in the Women’s Grand Prix series is celebrated for her dynamic and flexible chess style Achieving Grandmaster status at just 12 years and 4 months she broke records and set new standards in women’s chess Her career highlights include winning the European Women’s Championship twice and triumphs in the World Women’s Blitz Championship in 2010 Lagno’s consistent performance in the Women’s Grand Prix series including winning the first leg of the 2022–23 series With a solid foundation in all phases of the game she remains a formidable competitor in every tournament she enters is a former Women’s World Champion renowned for her solid and strategic playing style Her deep opening preparation and exceptional endgame technique make her a challenging opponent She won the Women’s World Chess Championship in 2017 after defeating Anna Muzychuk in the final She also won the Women’s Сandidates Tournament 2024 allowing her to compete against Ju Wenjun in the Women’s World Chess Championship 2025 Tan has a history of strong performances in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series she is one of the favorites in the Grand Prix 2024-2025 is India’s highest-rated female player and a dominant force in women’s chess Known for her tactical acumen and excellent positional understanding including the 2011 FIDE Grand Prix series and the 2019 Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship she returned triumphantly to win the Cairns Cup in 2020 Humpy’s consistent top-three finishes in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series demonstrate her world-class skills and relentless pursuit of victory is one of Germany’s most accomplished female chess players She has had a distinguished career marked by numerous titles and significant contributions to the game FIDE confirmed the Grandmaster title for Paehtz making her the first German woman to receive this title Paehtz serves as an inspiration that anything is possible at any age Elisabeth consistently plays and performs with the women’s elite and participated in both the 2019-2021 and 2022–2023 Women’s Grand Prix Series Her consistent performances across different legs of the series highlight her capability to maintain a high standard of play over an extended period is a rising talent from Bulgaria who burst onto the elite chess scene by reaching the final of the 2023 FIDE World Cup defeating several experienced IMs and GMs along the way Despite losing to Goryachkina in the final her silver medal earned her spots in both the 2024 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament and the 2024–2025 Women’s Grand Prix Salimova frequently employs sharp tactical lines and takes calculated risks to gain an advantage Her consistent performances indicate a bright future and the chess world eagerly anticipates her continued development Mongolian chess player Batkhuyag Munguntuul has a strong opening repertoire and impressive endgame skills Representing her country at multiple chess Olympiads she has consistently outmaneuvered opponents in technical positions Her standout performance at the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss earned her a spot in the Women’s Grand Prix Series Munguntuul’s experience and skill make her a respected competitor in any tournament she enters is an Indian chess prodigy who holds the titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master she has won gold at the World Youth Chess Championships in various categories establishing herself as a top young talent She won the 2022 Women’s Indian Chess Championship the 2023 Asian Women’s Chess Championship and the 2024 FIDE World Junior Girls Championship Divya is regarded as one of India’s brightest chess stars and most recently won the team gold as well as the individual gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024 Her performance pushed her rating to its peak of 2501 putting her at the number one Female Junior (Under 20) spot on the FIDE rankings The event will be held at the Rixos Khadisha Shymkent Hotel known for its excellent facilities and warm Kazakh hospitality The Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024-25 will feature a total of 20 players and each one of them will participate in three out of six WGP tournaments Each WGP tournament is played with ten (10) players round-robin every player scores WGP points according to her position in the final standings; the winner of the WGP Series is a player who scores the most cumulative points earned in all three WGP tournaments she played The total prize fund for each one of the six events is EUR 80,000 with another EUR 120,000 being distributed among the top 10 finishers in the overall standings for the Grand Prix series The two (2) players who score more cumulative points in the WGP series qualify for the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament 2026 For more information, visit the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix official website. The final round will start two hours earlier on Friday Goryachkina kept her one-point lead over Tan so that a draw in the final round will guarantee her sole first place.  Goryachkina could have clinched tournament victory with a sixth win in a row After the opening there was a queen exchange and I had an isolated queen’s pawn but it got eliminated by pushing the d4-break and then it was just double rook and bishop Humpy has had a disappointing event and revealed it had been a recent trend "The whole year I have been struggling a lot not just this tournament—I had a lot of setbacks in the previous ones as well," she said That draw for Goryachkina was a chance for Tan to close the gap at the top to half a point but she was never able to attain any more than a symbolic advantage in a heavy-piece position against Assaubayeva five draws appeared the most likely outcome of the day which would have meant a first draw for Munguntuul the Mongolian women's number-one kept up her grim record of losing all her games with the white pieces—five in total She went for unnecessarily forcing play in an equal position and then went astray in a rook endgame who picked up her first win after three losses felt it was trickier than it looked.   so I spent some time and tried to create some problems so I’m happy with my first win here!" The other two draws were a stark contrast. GM Kateryna Lagno vs. GM Elisabeth Paehtz was only notable for a rare appearance of the Ginsberg Gambit was the day's longest and most dramatic game Divya surprised her opponent in the opening with Stavroula remembering the correct move but not how to play it afterward Divya was over an hour up on the clock but commented on what happened next: One bad move allowed Stavroula to take over she would have put herself a draw in her final game away from picking up a second grandmaster norm Stavroula can still earn a grandmaster norm but now she needs to beat World Championship Challenger Tan with the white pieces in the final round to do it needs a win to have any chance of catching up to Goryachkina though that only comes into play if the leader loses with Black against Salimova which starts two hours earlier than usual!  For the first time we have a sole leader in Shymkent Top-seed Tan had needed great resilience and some luck to survive against Humpy in round two, but in round three she smashed through against GM Kateryna Lagno whose rare system against the London only left her a pawn down for no visible compensation Tan thought for 22 minutes before going for the sacrifice and she wrapped up victory in sparkling style That was enough for Tan to take the sole lead after her co-leaders at the start of the day drew though their King's Indian Defense was anything but a quiet draw between two players who were happy to maintain the status quo Assaubayeva went for a known pawn-sac early on and ultimately the Greek star emerged with an extra pawn but couldn't convert against excellent defense The only other draw saw GM Elisabeth Paehtz get on the scoreboard after two losses when she correctly claimed a slightly disguised draw by three-fold repetition against IM Nurgyul Salimova who said she's looking to stabilize after a first-round loss on her Grand Prix debut The remaining two games saw convincing wins for the black pieces and after Munguntuul won in 17 moves the day before she found herself lost in 19 in round three Humpy had missed a great chance to beat Tan but this time hit back: "Yesterday I missed a lot of winning chances so today I played much better and it was a very convincing victory." The crucial mistake by Munguntuul was the quickly-played 19.Qe2? which Humpy called "a very bad plan" and set out to punish brilliantly who felt her young opponent Divya was caught in two minds: "Today everything was easy for me because I didn’t understand what my opponent wanted—either to make a quick draw by the opening In the end Divya missed a chance to make a draw with 27.Nxd5 and then slipped to defeat when she blundered with 32.b4 That took Goryachkina into a four-player tie for second place Round 5 of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix leg is over indem Sie Ihr Schachmaterial/Bücher bei unserem Partner Chessware kaufen Weiterlesen The second leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024/2025 concluded in Shymkent with Aleksandra Goryachkina emerging as the undisputed winner Dominating the tournament from start to finish Goryachkina only needed a draw in the final round to secure the title Nurgyul Salimova – Aleksandra Goryachkina ½-½ Aleksandra Goryachkina has been dominating this event so much so that she only needed a draw in the final round to secure the tournament victory This what came from her game against Nurgyul Salimova an excellent result for the rising young star (particularly in terms of rating) who scored her first win yesterday the game was mostly uneventful with both players playing solidly trading off into an endgame in which White had just a slight edge Goryachkina made her mark in her first leg of the series so far and will play the next two in Monaco and Cyprus Whether she will assert the same dominance there is something to be seen she has secured important grand prix points for the overall standings Salimova has only recently entered the realm of women’s elite after reaching the finals in the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Cup where she lost to her today’s opponent but cemented herself as one of the best by achieving silver showcasing her ability to endure these tough tournaments We will see her at the Austrian and Indian Grand Prix legs next year Bibisara Assaubayeva – Munguntuul Batkhuyag ½-½ who had been mostly consistent throughout the event coupled with a position that did not give her any sort of attacking potential resulted in her drawing her final game to Munguntuul Batkhuyag The game saw the Reti opening and by move 9 the opponents stepped into an uncharted territory Munguntuul had chances to incorporate more dynamism into the game perhaps the best choice considering Assaubayeva’s aggressive style but in a position where her pieces had no play We will see both players once again in the next grand prix in Monaco Elisabeth Paehtz – Divya Deshmukh ½-½ The specific variation played is not very popular nowadays and by move 7 they reached a position that had not been played before was clearly the one driving the game – executing threats and playing for the initiative after giving up a pawn both players managed to parry each other’s threats Black allowed White to activate her rooks at some point and take over the h-file There was an opportunity for Paehtz to sacrifice a piece for a dangerous kingside attack her active h-file rooks secured a draw by perpetual This was Divya’s debut at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix after what has already been an extremely successful year with her winning the World Junior Girls Championships She has definitely shown that she is a player to watch in this series We will see her in the Cyprus and Indian legs Although Paehtz has remarked that her career is not what it used to be she will continue to compete at the highest level and we will see her in the next two legs in Monaco and Cyprus The game between Koneru and Lagno ended within the hour Both players had a tough event and were not vying for places in the standings leading to a fast-paced game with many consecutive trades which eventually lead to a completely equal endgame and resulted in a draw This tournament might not have seen the best of both players but they still remain in the top ranks of women’s chess we will be sure to see exciting performances coming up Both will play in the Monaco and Indian legs Stavroula Tsolakidou – Tan Zhongyi 0-1 Tan Zhongyi has been one of the best players in this event competing with Goryachking for the top spot to the very and The Chinese GM finished off her successful tournament with a 22-move miniature against the Greek talent Stavroula Tsolakidou Tsolakidou once again found herself spending a considerable amount of time in the opening after entering an inferior position with her pieces placed awkwardly and from this point things went from bad to worse in the moves that would follow it was crucial for White to play 12.g4 in order to obtain some play in the center after 12…Nxg4 13.dxe4 but well enough to maintain her advantage throughout Tan arranged her rooks in the center d8 and e8 Tsolakidou collapsed shortly after and threw in the towel on move 22 facing heavy material losses caused by the black knight’s fine maneuver: allowing her to challenge Ju Wenjun for the crown next year Tan is not too concerned about that and saying in an interview that she is just enjoying playing chess It will be interesting to see if she will continue this performance in her upcoming Grand Prix legs in Monaco and Austria Tsolakidou has also been consistent in this series although the final round result did not reflect her strong overall performance she has secured important grand prix points Stavroula’s final appearance will be at the Cyprus leg The penultimate round of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix was the quietest one by far Humpy Koneru broke Aleksandra Goryachkina’s remarkable five-game winning streak with a well-fought draw keeping her steady under Goryachkina’s pressure Divya Deshmukh and Stavroula Tsolakidou drew after a complex pawn race Tan Zhongyi and Bibisara Assaubayeva also had a peaceful result with Tan maintaining her second place standing behind Goryachkina Nurgyul Salimova achieved her first Grand Prix victory capitalizing on a late-game blunder by Munguntuul Batkhuyag It was a case of déjà vu at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix today as we saw a few exact repeat openings from the previous rounds making for interesting games as alternatives were played out each vying to finish the tournament on a high note Here’s a look at the key moments from today’s games: Aleksandra Goryachkina – Humpy Koneru ½-½ The last few rounds have seen absolute domination by Goryachkina going into today with a five-game winning streak It was difficult to imagine that she would be stopped but Indian chess titan Humpy Koneru halted the former World Championship challenger’s momentum with a draw In the Neo Arkhangelsk variation of Ruy Lopez as even though Goryackina tried to apply pressure she surprisingly followed with consecutive trades as Humpy kept good time management and remained extremely solid Humpy noted that even though the position was completely equal she felt her opponent pushing hard for a win but she found the correct moves and managed to hold her ground Even though Goryachkina’s winning streak has been broken she still maintains a solid one-point lead after Tan Zhongyi’s draw with Bibisara Assaubayeva Tan Zhongyi – Bibisara Assaubayeva ½-½ The final two rounds are critical for most players but Tan had the important task of ensuring that Goryachkina’s one-point lead over her did not increase Stemming from (another) Sicilian Defense in the Moscow variation the theory was followed by both until Black decided to push her f-pawn forward resulting in a backward e-pawn – a small positional concession which White aimed to take advantage of by applying pressure on the e-file Although Assaubayeva was not in her tactical element White was indeed more comfortable throughout the game and even though it seemed that she had an advantage at some point The game concluded in a draw after move repetition Kateryna Lagno – Elisabeth Paehtz ½-½ Lagno and Paehtz have been at the top of women’s elite for a long time and have faced off multiple times in their careers including at the recent Global Chess League It seemed as if Lagno was playing for something as she first advanced her pawns on the kingside and declined Paehtz’s first move repetition offer the opponents called it a day after three-fold repetition Divya Deshmukh – Stavroula Tsolakidou ½-½ After a lucky escape with a draw yesterday Deshmukh came to her eighth round extremely well-prepared backing up her sentiment in yesterday’s interview about winning in her final two rounds at getting a whole hour advantage on the clock thoroughly calculated her way through possible complications and opted to avoid them With queens traded off and the fireworks neutralized The players swapped having the advantage a few times the position remained completely equal until White erred on move 36 at which point Divya no longer had her time advantage: When 37.Rd4 was critical – attacking the h-pawn and covering the e4-square from a knight check After 37…h3 38.c7 Black had to insert the important zwischenzug 38…Ne4 forcing 39.Kc1 (39.Kd3 pushes the king towards more danger) A possible continuation is 39…Ra8 40.Rd3 (if 40.Rd8 then 40…h2 seals the deal as h1Q comes with a check) 40…h2 Following trades of the queens and knights the opponents reached the following position: Divya implemented the incorrect plan of taking the king to the pawn allowing Black to push the g-pawn whilst having the king close enough to help out on the queenside But Tsolakidou’s timing was off again losing crucial tempo instead of advancing her g-pawn immediately (48…g4!) with a winning position Both players came out of the playing hall visibly exhausted after fighting on the board for almost 5 hours Divya attributed her errors to overthinking it is important to reiterate that although it is easy to find the winning continuation while watching from the comfort of one’s couch hanging out with Stockfish it is different under the stressful conditions of a chess tournament Batkhuyag Munguntuul  – Nurgyul Salimova 0-1 had an exact repeat from her game against Goryachkina yesterday in the Sicilian Sveshnikov where an identical position was reached all the way up to move 16: starting what would become a lethal kingside attack aware of that they had entered the same position The game was not as sharp as yesterday’s affair the opponents reached a completely equal endgame White should have moved the king to attack the rook important to do in order for the white rook to be able to come back via b5 she clung to her pawn with 43.b3??allowing the black king to walk all the way to f3 with a decisive advantage After 43…Kh5 44.Rxf5+ Kg4 45.Rxa5 White picked up several pawns but Black’s threats became lethal: 45…Kf3 46 Kg1 Rg2 47.Kh1 Rc2 48.Ra6 e3 49.Rxh6 e2 50.Re6 Kxg3 and White resigned With only one round left in the second leg of the Women’s Grand Prix Aleksandra Goryachkina still leads by a full point The final round will determine the final standings as players fight to end on a high note capping off what has been a thrilling tournament Round 9 of the second leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Friday FIDE Women's Grand Prix leg goes into Round 8 Another roller coaster of a day took place at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix as with Humpy Koneru and Aleksandra Goryachkina joining Tan Zhongyi as leaders of the event are now making their presence felt with back-to-back wins defeating Nurgyul Salimova and Stavroula Tsolakidou Munguntuul Batkhuyag outplayed Kateryna Lagno in a surprising upset while Elisabeth Paehtz and Bibisara Assaubayeva concluded their game with a quiet draw Tan Zhongyi faced Divya Deshmukh in an intense battle where Divya missed a crucial moment to take down the tournament leader The leaderboard has now seen another shift with new front-runners and promising matchups ahead Tomorrow’s round will be crucial as Tan Zhongyi takes on Goryachkina possibly reshuffling the standings once again  Let’s take a look at what happened in today’s games: Aleksandra Goryachkina – Stavroula Tsolakidou 1-0 Goryachkina has demonstrated deep preparation for the tournament often taking her opponents into less popular sidelines she played an improved version of a line we recently saw at the FIDE Olympiad in the game Cheparinov – Caruana she offered a queen trade at the wrong time instead of securing a strong outpost for her knight But she quickly corrected this error by repositioning the same knight to a3 forcing Black to make a few uncomfortable exchanges Tsolakidou had to parry Goryachkina’s threats instead of creating her own spending almost 20 minutes on a bad move in what was already a tough position the black king found itself in the middle of the board and Goryachkina sealed the game with a nice tactical finish: 1-0 (44…Rxd4 45.cxd4+ followed by 46.Bxc6) Elisabeth Paehtz – Bibisara Assaubayeva ½-½   This quiet game featured a Sicilian Alapin transitioning into an endgame where Paehtz’s isolated queen’s pawn became a slight liability preventing Assaubayeva from gaining a substantial advantage Black was only slightly better due to the more active rook playing accurately and not allowing her opponent to make inroads Koneru and Salimova fought in a battle spanning almost five hours resulting in an imbalanced yet equal position the bishop pair can be extremely dangerous in open positions but it was not the case as White had ample piece activity Even though Salimova really pushed for an attack as Whit’s king was always safe and secure White had two passed pawns that ran down the queenside giving Black a chance to get back in the game the best continuation (which involved rerouting pieces) This is Humpy’s second victory in a row After drawing a completely winning position vs she came back strong and now has some momentum Munguntuul and her Caro-Kann struck once again and neither player demonstrated accuracy in navigating the unchartered waters in the opening In hopes of preparing some kind of attack on the kingside Lagno swung her queen over but failed to gain ground inadvertently giving Munguntuul time to build up an attack of her own and suddenly Lagno found herself on the receiving end of a kingside attack with Black’s two rooks and queen looming down on her king but her rook and knight were no match for Munguntuul’s dangerous queen Kateryna resigned on move 41 as her position collapsed Tan opted for a less popular variation of the King’s Indian Defense Divya sacrificed a pawn for piece activity Divya had two powerful bishops which Tan neutralized by first returning the pawn with White having bad double-isolated pawns on the kingside against Black’s secure three kingside pawns Although the computer evaluated this as marginally better for Black Tan erred massively weakening her seventh rank and Divya had her chance to take control by shielding her passed pawn from one of Black’s rooks she missed this opportunity and blitzed out the incorrect move in seconds Tan did not give her young opponent any more winning chances Although there were a few decisive outcomes in Round 4 the moment of the day is the position in which the young Divya Deshmukh had the opportunity to take down tournament leader Tan Zhongyi then the other rook can join the party on the 7th rank via 36 which might have been difficult under the immense time pressure Divya was in The fifth round of the second leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Sunday Kazakhstan’s Agency for Protection and Development of Competition (AZRC) has proposed the partial privatization of the Atyrau and Pavlodar oil refineries the proposal involves selling 50% of the state’s stake in these assets Kazakhstan operates three major oil refineries The Pavlodar refinery is fully owned by KazMunayGas Refining and Marketing JSC a subsidiary of the state-owned KazMunayGas (KMG) the Atyrau refinery is 100% state-owned through KMG the Shymkent refinery operates under a 50-50 joint venture between KMG and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) through PetroKazakhstan Group AZRC cites the Shymkent refinery as the most efficiently operated among the three private management means fewer government officials in operational roles This confirms that private sector management is more effective,” Akhmetov told reporters on the sidelines of Parliament He also noted that preliminary discussions on privatization have already taken place within the government Kazakhstan is expected to refine 17.9 million tons of oil in 2024 yielding 14.5 million tons of oil products The three main refineries processed similar volumes in the previous year: more than two dozen mini-refineries across Kazakhstan contribute to oil processing Akhmetov also revealed that AZRC has recommended the privatization of most municipal utilities in the housing and communal services (HCS) sector in coordination with sectoral government bodies has agreed to privatize a significant portion of the defense-industrial complex including firms handling government contracts some strategically important enterprises will remain under state control Akhmetov did not specify which companies would be exempt from privatization As The Times of Central Asia previously reported Kazakhstan plans to establish a major defense industry hub at Semey’s tank repair plant History was made on Tuesday, July 9, when the Jewish community of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, gathered to inaugurate ‘Mikvah Mei Elazar,’ the city’s first-ever mikvah. Full Story By Ariel Fine – Chabad.org gathered to inaugurate ‘Mikvah Mei Elazar,’ the city’s first-ever mikvah The mikvah’s opening marks a coming of age for Jewish life on the vast Kazakh steppe Shymkent is a city in southern Kazakhstan near the border with Uzbekistan It is the third largest city in the country and serves as the administrative and cultural center of the South Kazakhstan Region Rabbi Mordechai and Shoshana Morozow—he originally from Melbourne Alberta—moved to the region to establish Chabad-Lubavitch of Shymkent Kazakhstan was a part of the Soviet Union and today there are 12 emissary couples serving Jews in seven cities throughout the Central Asian country The Morozows operate out of their modest Chabad center close to the city’s center adult education classes and Jewish programming to the community Shymkent is home to a small Jewish community the Morozows working with a base of more than 200 Jews The Morozows believe that the true number of Jews is higher as is the case in many places in the former Soviet Union where Jews hid their identities as a result of decades of government persecution Unimaginable at the time of the fall of the Iron Curtain more than 30 years ago the new mikvah is another milestone for Jewish life in the distant outpost “When we first came to Shymkent six years ago there wasn’t much in the way of organized Jewish life,” Rabbi Morozow says “But the existing Jewish community that greeted us has provided us with a welcoming environment to grow.” maintaining Jewish life in Shymkent may at times feel difficult The closest city with a mikvah is Tashkent That doesn’t account for the border crossing which makes getting there all the more complicated The closest city with a robust Jewish infrastructure within Kazakhstan’s expansive borders is Almaty Almaty is the location of the burial place of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was arrested by the Soviet secret police in 1939 and ultimately exiled to Kazakhstan where he suffered for years in a desolate Kazakh village where he passed away and was buried in the summer of 1944 Chabad of Kazakhstan was established by Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen in 1994 and Jewish life has flourished there in the decades since Cohen also serves as the country’s chief rabbi Though years ago it would have taken days to reach Almaty from Shymkent the trip remains a difficult one for the Morozows and local Jewish community members The desert highway connecting them with Almaty takes more than eight hours to traverse obtaining kosher meat and attending to other Jewish needs in Almaty an act of true dedication the Morozows recently brought down a shochet (ritual slaughterer) to visit and provide kosher meat for the community While the grant provided the initial seed money for the mikvah’s construction the Morozows still required additional funding to make their dream a reality Assistance came in the form of donors from near and far Ariel and Elizabeth Mashiyev from the Mashiyev Family Foundation of Toronto have dedicated vast time and resources to helping create mikvahs in remote locales the family has been involved in more than 30 such projects and when they were introduced to the project in Shymkent “We fundamentally believe that every Jewish community should have a mikvah,” Ariel Mashiyev told Chabad.org We hope that the new mikvah will allow Jewish life to flourish in the region and allow the community to continue to grow.” In addition to helping with the creation of mikvahs in general the Shymkent project had personal significance was born in nearby Turkmenistan before moving to New York Given the geographical proximity to Kazakhstan the Mashiyev family decided to honor his legacy by dedicating the new mikvah in his name One benefactor from Israel made a contribution after reading a letter in the Rebbe’s Igrot Kodesh [the 33-volume collection of the Rebbe’s published correspondence] about the importance of building mikvahs a large group from Anshei Lubavitch and Tzierei Anash—two synagogues located in Crown Heights Brooklyn—arrived in Almaty to visit Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s burial place When they learned of Shymkent’s yet-unfinished mikvah project they donated the funds to help bring it to the finish line The entire community and guests from around the world attended the event as well as his brother Rabbi Elchonon Cohen Among the speakers was Rabbi Mendy Chitrik chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States (ASIS) who spoke about how incredible it was that Shymkent a place where Chabad Chassidim had previously endangered their lives to spread Judaism He also highlighted how inspiring it is that in 2024 the Muslim city’s new mikvah could be inaugurated in an environment of peace and harmony Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Turkey to Shymkent and the Turkestan region spoke about the strength of the ongoing relationship with the Jewish community in the region the growth of the local Jewish community was put on display through a double celebration that took place at the inauguration who in addition to directing Chabad of Almaty is the wider region’s mohel was called upon to perform the ritual circumcisions of two brothers The names chosen for the two boys by their parents were Menachem Mendel and Levi Yitzchak two individuals who were instrumental to the development of Jewish life in the region The double bris ceremony was followed by the Jewish wedding of a couple who The Jewish couple also committed to using Shymkent’s brand new mikvah and the help of friends and supporters near and far they and many more Jews will have a beautiful mikvah to use deep on the Kazakh steppe Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Aleksandra Goryachkina extended her winning streak with a fifth consecutive victory Tan Zhongyi also secured a crucial win over Nurgyul Salimova The battle between the two youngest players ended in a hard-fought draw after Assaubayeva missed a decisive continuation Stavroula Tsolakidou and Kateryna Lagno’s positional encounter concluded peacefully while Elisabeth Paehtz and Humpy Koneru opted for an early draw to reset after challenging recent rounds Today was the quickest round of the tournament with all games finishing within three and a half hours but it is short in comparison to the usual 5.5-6-hour battles It is also not surprising that since we have entered the final three rounds of the event fatigue is most likely setting in for our players Munguntuul Batkhuyag – Aleksandra Goryachkina 0-1 Goryachkina is on a winning streak that we rarely witness in such high-level events Aleksandra secured her fifth consecutive win Starting out as a Sicilian Sveshnikov the game was destined to show fireworks after Munguntuul neglected her kingside defense in pursuit of play on the queenside (reminiscent of yesterday’s game between Lagno – Assaubayeva) Black lured away White’s only defending piece and kingside pawns were barreling down on the kingside soon found itself pinned up against the edge of the board by a pawn as the black queen inched closer and closer but with a loss in material and the king still exposed This convincing win was a testament to Goryachkina’s impressive momentum it is difficult to imagine that she will be stopped in the final rounds and tomorrow’s game will be a big indicator of her final position in the standings The game started out as a gambit line of Semi-Slav Defense where Black quickly obtained a passed pawn supported by a solid pawn chain launching an attack against Tan’s uncastled king But Tan could bloodily counter each threat and without needing the additional time given on move 40 Bibisara Assaubayeva – Divya Deshmukh ½-½ The youngest participants of the event exited the playing hall in high spirits Deshmukh remarked that her opening play was terrible who thought her opponent made strange choices at the beginning of the game as White obtained an early advantage after Black misplayed her knight Bibisara later closed off her powerful fianchettoed bishop with an uncharacteristic pawn e2-24 push The back-and-forth continued until Bibisara achieved a winning +3 position but a critical misstep let Divya back into the game: Re4 (threatening Rxd4)  but instead played the pseudo-active 34.f6? Bibisara dropped the lion’s share of her advantage as after the g-pawns were traded off the black king could join the game via the h-file White’s pressure dissipated completely both expressed their commitment to winning their remaining games Stavroula Tsolakidou – Kateryna Lagno ½-½ The game started as the English opening transitioning into the Neo-Catalan Defense and quickly became a positional struggle Early piece exchanges led to an opposite-colored bishop endgame each satisfied with the result as they prepare for the final rounds Elisabeth Paehtz – Humpy Koneru ½ – ½ Paehtz and Koneru opted for a quick draw via threefold repetition on move 14 and both players will be looking to bring renewed focus to their next games Aleksandra Goryachkina once again played a brilliant game and her exchange sacrifice was a standout moment: the black queen arrived on the scene with 25…Qg5 it is clear that the white king is in big trouble but Goryachkina’s eyes were set on the white king where White’s king is pinned back to the 1st rank 31.Be2 Qh3 32.Qd1 Qh1 + 33.Kf2 g1Q 34.Qxg1 Qxe4 Goryachkina has firmly positioned herself as the tournament leader Tan Zhongyi remains within striking distance while Assaubayeva and Tsolakidou are also eager to make their mark in the final stretch The penultimate round tomorrow promises high-stakes matchups as players look to secure their final standings Round 8 of the second leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Thursday Kazakhstan has emerged as a powerhouse in women’s chess proudly represented by stars like Bibisara Assaubayeva a two-time Women’s World Blitz Chess Champion who recently claimed silver at the 2024 FIDE Olympiad It is thus fitting that Kazakhstan hosts the second leg of the prestigious FIDE Women’s Grand Prix a cornerstone competition in the women’s chess calendar ten of the world’s top female players will compete in Shymkent in a round-robin format vying not only for victory but also for crucial Grand Prix points that impact their qualification for the upcoming FIDE Candidates Tournament This elite lineup includes renowned players such as Bibisara Assaubayeva With a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars fans can anticipate a thrilling display of skill and intense games The tournament commenced with an elegant opening ceremony at the Rixos Khadisha Hotel The evening opened with a captivating traditional dance Players were invited to the stage as their achievements were announced each donning attire by renowned designer Aida Kaumenova The event was graced by distinguished guests including FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Marat Yessenov and Shymkent’s First Deputy Akim Kuanysh Asylov all of whom addressed the audience with inspiring words President Dvorkovich expressed his hopes for fierce competition and commended Kazakhstan’s remarkable progress in the chess world “Kazakhstan’s success story is the culmination of joint efforts by the government I hope this model inspires others globally.” thanked FIDE for selecting Shymkent as the host city “For our city with more than 2000 years of chess tradition and chess as a subject is taught in schools All this is a merit of our cooperation with the International Chess Federation and the results of support from the country’s leadership.” the ceremony featured a fashion show by Aida Kaumenova showcasing designs that echo the strategic and artistic elements of chess The evening was a spectacular celebration of Kazakh chess passion and a fitting tribute to the players Round 1 begins Wednesday at 15:00 local time with a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with a 30-second increment per move starting from move one For more information about the event, including news, images, regulations, pairings, and games, please visit womengrandprix.fide.com/ Kazakhstan is continuing to prosecute those connected to the Bloody January events of 2022. A trial in an Almaty district court resulted in the convictions on June 11 of 11 defendants accused of attacking government buildings amidst the bout of upheaval was found guilty of “participation in mass riots,” “invasion of a building,” “use of violence against a government official,” and “taking a serviceman hostage.” He received a four-year prison sentence were found guilty of “participation in mass riots” and “attacks on buildings and structures,” and each received sentences of one year and nine months Some of the defendants insisted they were innocent Most said they were subjected to police brutality and coercive tactics while in custody in early 2023 a court in the Aktobe region in western Kazakhstan sentenced a local resident he “deliberately hit police officers with a car” during the riots Human Rights activists argue that the recently completed trial like previous cases connected to the January events ignored evidence beneficial to the accused while relying heavily on circumstantial evidence a lawyer who defended one of those accused of participating in the riots asserted that many of the defendants were bystanders “All judicial decisions should be made on the basis of facts but this is not happening,” Beisebaev said Almost 1,400 individuals have been convicted of criminal behavior in connection with Bloody January Many of the judicial procedures involving Bloody January have been closed to the public the proceedings have not shed much light on the chain of events and how it led to violent confrontations between protesters and security forces Almaz Kumenov is an Almaty-based journalist Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks A $650 million greenhouse complex is being constructed in Shymkent with the involvement of the Turkish company Alarko Holding reported The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin and the Vice President of the company discussed an investment project aimed at tomato cultivation The greenhouse complex and a processing plant for the cultivated produce are planned to be built in Shymkent by the end of 2025 in two phases and the second will expand to 130 hectares the complex is expected to produce 51,000 tons of products annually The markets for these products include domestic sales and exports to the Russian Federation The project will create approximately 2,000 jobs the company plans to open a factory in Shymkent for the production of greenhouse structures A specialized academy for training agricultural specialists to international standards is also planned as part of the project Source: eldala.kz Frontpage photo: © Hwongcc | Dreamstime FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 HortiDaily.com 30 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Ordabasy Shymkent vs FC Kyzylzhar Petropavlovsk on Sun Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are Ordabasy Shymkent 8 win(s) Have scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches Have scored 9 goals in their last 5 matches Who won between Ordabasy Shymkent and FC Kyzylzhar Petropavlovsk on Sun 30 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT?Ordabasy Shymkent vs FC Kyzylzhar Petropavlovsk on Sun 30 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT ended in a 0–0 tie.InsightsHave scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches Ordabasy Shymkent is playing home against FC Kyzylzhar Petropavlovsk on Sun The first round of the second leg of the Women’s Grand Prix in Kazakhstan was filled with twists and turns where three players – Bibisara Assaubayeva players entered the elegant hall on the 11th floor of the Rixos Khadisha Hotel with its chandeliered grandeur and golden accents that perfectly captured the prestige of the occasion Tension filled the air as players settled into their seats The ceremonial first move was made by Gabit Abdimazhitovich Syzdykbekov on board one between Nurgyul Salimova and Bibisara Assaubayeva—marking the board where the first victory of the day would later unfold The opening round’s decisive outcomes included Stavroula Tsolakidou’s win against Batkhuyag Munguntuul and Tan Zhongyi’s hard-fought victory over Elisabeth Paehtz the last game to conclude after intense 5.5 hours of play players from the same country were paired together in the first round which was the case between Kateryna Lagno vs With the majority of games ending decisively and even the drawn games being far from boring homegrown hero Bibisara opted for an aggressive approach to White’s early kingside castle by storming the h-pawn down the h-file Bibisara’s opening approach was a good one – she took Nurgyul out of her usual Catalan comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory Although Black did not have a concrete advantage Eventually Nurgyul slipped by untimely returning a pawn and found herself in an inferior position The critical moment of the game came on move 21 Here Salimova could have protected both her dark-squared bishop and the b2-pawn by 21 Qc1 with an unpleasant but still holdable position White could have put up a stubborn resistance but after several inaccuracies by Nurgyul Bibisara traded off most of the pieces and liquidated into a winning endgame After the additional 30 minutes was added by move 41 who had been playing with a minute or less for 10 moves finally had time to properly assess the position as not only does it give her a strong start but she was able to secure the point with the black pieces she exclaimed in an interview that this was her first win with black in her last 3–4 tournaments she has both additional pressure and support she is definitely one of the tournament favorites The rollercoaster game between Lagno and Goryachkina started off as a regular Giuco Piano an opening that commentator Miro noted as having too many familiar positions that all seem the same Goryachkina opted for the less popular 6…a5 and later started aggressive kingside play that would never materialize into any kind of advantage the opposite occurred – Lagno secured her kingside and started pushing on the queenside White’s king is safe and the computer evaluates this as a +9 advantage for White after 31.Qxd6 Black can’t create any real threats after capturing on g2 possibly overestimating Black’s attack and instead opted for 31.Qh4+ After 31…Rh6 32.Rxe7 Rxh4 33.Rxg7 Bxg2+ 34.Bxg2 the position became completely equal But the twists did not end there – a few moves later White seized an advantage once again in the form of a dangerous d-passer and a couple of moves before reaching time control Lagno blundered reached a comfortable position out of the opening and emerged slightly better in an opposite-colored bishop endgame with rooks Tsolakidou was probing Munguntuul’s defenses for a while and eventually got her chance White retreated her bishop from active position and then made the major mistake by moving the king into the wrong direction: Bh5 with the idea of 50…Rh7 51.g4 was the only chance) allowed Black to infiltrate the kingside with 50…Rh7 followed by Rh1-Rg1 White tried to create some queenside counterplay Black’s g-pawn ran down the board to glory The game between Divya and Humpy was an exiciting clash of generations – Divya a recent double gold Olympiad medalist for Indian and after 41 moves the game ended in a quiet draw The last game to end was between Tan Zhongyi and Elisabeth Paehtz Despite a relatively early exchange of queens the position was balanced but full of life on move 33 instead of 33…Rc3 Paehtz made the bold decision to play 33…Nxg4 hoping for 34.hxg4 Bxg4 Tan first inserted the zwischenzug 34.Nc6 threatening Nxe7 and completely restricting the mobility of the black Rooks White continued to hold a minor advantage for most of the game but eventually equality was reached with White having three active minor pieces – two bishops and a knight The final mistake came on move 67 where Black played 67…Ra8 saving the wrong Rook and allowing White to keep the dominating knight Tan showcased her endgame technique in the Knight and Bishop vs two pawns endgame eventually leading to a Bishop and Knight checkmate This is not the most common checkmate to occur in chess and seeing it come up in elite levels is a good reminder for those at home to practice it and with such a strong start she has further positioned herself as one of the favourites in the tournament also had a strong start in the tournament series’ first leg in Tbilisi The second round of the second leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Thursday This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 05 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}FC Astana won 2–1 over Ordabasy Shymkent on Sat The current head to head record for the teams are FC Astana 28 win(s) Have kept the most clean sheets in the competition (3) Marin Tomasov is the competition's top scorer (4) Have scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches Haven't scored in their last 3 matches Who won between FC Astana and Ordabasy Shymkent on Sat 05 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT?FC Astana won 2–1 over Ordabasy Shymkent on Sat 05 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches FC Astana is playing home against Ordabasy Shymkent on Sat