World Youth Chess Championship Concludes in Grand Style Six New Champions Crowned

by Fide Trainer Niklesh Jain - 27/06/2026

The FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2026 concluded with six new World Champions emerging across the age categories. IM Anthony Atanasov of Canada (Open Under-18), WFM Valeria Kleymenova of FIDE (Girls Under-18), IM Khagan Ahmad of Azerbaijan (Open Under-16), WFM Veranika Abramkina of FIDE (Girls Under-16), FM Antoni Radzimski of Poland (Open Under-14), and Zahra Allahverdi of Azerbaijan (Girls Under-14) captured the coveted world titles.

From an Indian perspective, the biggest highlight came in the Girls Under-18 section, where WFM Pratitee Bordoloi produced an unbeaten performance to win the silver medal, India's lone medal at this year's World Youth Championship. Read Full Report , Photos by FT Niklesh Jain

Montesilvano, Italy – After twelve memorable days of intense competition, the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2026 came to a spectacular conclusion, crowning six new World Youth Champions. A total of 758 players from 84 countries participated in the event, making it one of the strongest and most memorable editions of the championship.

The tournament produced everything that makes age-group chess so fascinating—brilliant victories, heartbreaking defeats, remarkable comebacks, and countless unforgettable games. Once again, the championship demonstrated why predicting the winners in youth events is never easy. Success at this level depends not only on chess strength but also on the ability to handle pressure and deliver when it matters most.

The closing ceremony was attended by Ottavio De Martinis, Mayor of Montesilvano, GM Roberto Mogranzini, Tournament Director, Ozgur Solakoglu, FIDE Delegate, IA Mohammad Alhallak, 1st Vice President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), and Hisham Al Taher, General Secretary of the Asian Chess Federation. The dignitaries presented medals to the winners of both the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships and the World Chess Solving Championship.

Let us now take a look at the results in each category.

Open Under-18

The Open Under-18 title was decided on tie-breaks after two Canadian players finished tied on 9 points. IM Anthony Atanasov claimed the World Championship thanks to his superior tie-break score, while his compatriot IM Emanuel Kot had to settle for the silver medal despite finishing with the same score. It marked one of Canada's finest performances ever in a World Youth Championship. Spain's IM Javier Habans Aguerrea secured the bronze medal with 8 points.

Atanasov's title-winning run included five consecutive victories in the closing rounds, with his final-round win over top seed IM Philipp Magold proving to be the decisive performance that secured him the World Championship.

🥇 IM Anthony Atanasov (Canada) – 9/11
🥈 IM Emanuel Kot (Canada) – 9/11
🥉 IM Javier Habans Aguerrea (Spain) – 8/11

Girls Under-18

The Girls Under-18 section saw two players stand out from the rest of the field throughout the tournament. WFM Valeria Kleymenova of FIDE secured the World Youth title with a round to spare, becoming the only player across all six categories to clinch the championship before the final round. She finished with an outstanding score of 10 points from 11 games, scoring nine victories and two draws.

India's WFM Pratitee Bordoloi claimed the silver medal with an unbeaten 9/11, recording seven wins and four draws in a remarkable performance. In the final round, Pratitee defeated Mongolia's WFM Erdenebayar Khuslen to secure second place and India's only medal of the championship.

The bronze medal went to China's WIM Wang Qinxuanyi, who finished on 8 points. Wang secured third place on tie-break after holding the champion, Valeria Kleymenova, to a draw in the final round.

🥇 WFM Valeria Kleymenova (FIDE) – 10/11
🥈 WFM Pratitee Bordoloi (India) – 9/11
🥉 WIM Wang Qinxuanyi (China) – 8/11

Open Under-16

The Open Under-16 section witnessed one of the most dramatic finishes of the championship. Amid constantly changing leaders throughout the event, Azerbaijan's IM Khagan Ahmad emerged as the World Champion after defeating FIDE's Gleb Scheglov in the final and longest game of the tournament. The victory gave Ahmad 9.5 points out of 11.

At one stage, Ahmad appeared to be in serious trouble, but he demonstrated outstanding resilience and technique. His two rooks and knight eventually outplayed his opponent's queen and knight, allowing him to turn the tables and secure the title in impressive fashion.

Romania's IM Henry Edward Tudor claimed the silver medal with 8.5 points after defeating India's IM Goutham Krishna H in the final round. Kazakhstan's IM Sauat Nurgaliyev also finished on 8.5 points and secured the bronze medal on tie-break after overcoming Ukraine's FM Oleksii Karvatskyi in the last round.

🥇 IM Khagan Ahmad (Azerbaijan) – 9.5/11
🥈 IM Henry Edward Tudor (Romania) – 8.5/11
🥉 IM Sauat Nurgaliyev (Kazakhstan) – 8.5/11

Girls Under-16

The Girls Under-16 section belonged to FIDE's WFM Veranika Abramkina, who produced a remarkable finish by winning her last four games under immense pressure to capture the World Youth title with 9 points.

Her most important victory came in Round 10, where she defeated China's Jiang Tianyu, who had entered the game with a one-point lead. That result completely changed the course of the tournament and put Abramkina in control of the title race.

Jiang Tianyu, who had led the standings for most of the championship and held the best tie-breaks going into the final round, could only manage a draw in her last game. She finished with 8.5 points and secured the silver medal. The bronze medal went to WIM Rachael Li of the United States, who also scored 8.5 points.

Interestingly, the three medal winners formed a perfect cycle during the tournament: Rachael Li defeated Jiang Tianyu, Jiang Tianyu defeated Veranika Abramkina, and Veranika Abramkina defeated Rachael Li.

🥇 WFM Veranika Abramkina (FIDE) – 9/11
🥈 Jiang Tianyu (China) – 8.5/11
🥉 WIM Rachael Li (USA) – 8.5/11

Open Under-14

The Open Under-14 section proved to be one of the most fiercely contested events of the championship. Despite the young age of the participants, the level of competition was exceptionally high, and the final two rounds completely reshaped the medal race. The biggest surprise came when two-time age-group World Champion IM Mark Smirnov of Kazakhstan slipped out of medal contention altogether.

The turning point came in Round 9 against Poland's FM Antoni Radzimski. In an almost equal position, Smirnov, under severe time pressure, blundered a bishop, a mistake that changed the course of the tournament. Radzimski never looked back after that. In the final round, he defeated Armenia's Artem T. Mamikonyan to finish with 9 points and claim the World Youth title.

CM Damir Bulgak of FIDE secured the silver medal with 8.5 points, while FM Ethan Guo of the United States claimed the bronze medal on tie-break with 8 points.

🥇 FM Antoni Radzimski (Poland) – 9/11
🥈 CM Damir Bulgak (FIDE) – 8.5/11
🥉 FM Ethan Guo (USA) – 8/11

Girls Under-14

The Girls Under-14 title was claimed in impressive fashion by Azerbaijan's Zahra Allahverdi. Remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament, she scored 7 victories and 4 draws to finish with 9 points, displaying remarkable consistency and maturity on her way to becoming the new World Youth Champion.

The silver medal went to WIM Laurie Qiu of the United States, who finished on 8.5 points and edged ahead on tie-break. Türkiye's Tuana Abak also scored 8.5 points and secured the bronze medal.

🥇 Zahra Allahverdi (Azerbaijan) – 9/11
🥈 WIM Laurie Qiu (USA) – 8.5/11
🥉 Tuana Abak (Türkiye) – 8.5/11

Based on the overall performances across all six categories, Azerbaijan won the Best Federation Trophy, underlining the country's outstanding showing throughout the championship. Canada finished in second place, while Poland secured third.

The trophies were received on behalf of their respective countries by the Heads of Delegation during the closing ceremony, bringing a fitting conclusion to another memorable edition of the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships.

Thus, the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2026 came to a colourful and memorable conclusion. The closing ceremony featured a vibrant cultural programme with music, dance,

and singing performances, creating a festive atmosphere as players, officials, coaches, and parents celebrated the end of twelve days of outstanding chess.

The event concluded on a high note, leaving participants with unforgettable memories both on and off the chessboard.

Dr. Abdullah presenting the medals to the winners of the FIDE World Chess Solving Championship during the closing ceremony.

Full Video of Closing Ceremony : Unichess Youtube

Final Ranking U 18 Open after 11 Rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB2	TB3
1	4	IM	ATANASOV, Anthony	CAN	2470	9	72	77
2	34	IM	KOT, Emanuel	CAN	2313	9	71	75,5
3	9	IM	HABANS AGUERREA, Javier	ESP	2433	8	73,5	78,5
4	16	FM	VALLEE, Louis	FRA	2401	8	73,5	78
5	6	GM	MAMEDOV, Edgar	KAZ	2464	8	69	73,5
6	39		ZHANG, Zhi	CHN	2300	7,5	73	77,5
7	29	FM	HOVAKIMYAN, Vache	ARM	2325	7,5	70	75,5
8	1	IM	MAGOLD, Filip	ROU	2501	7,5	67,5	72,5
9	7	IM	HAGNER, Bennet	GER	2445	7,5	67,5	72,5
10	8	FM	DAVUDOV, Tunar	AZE	2439	7,5	67	72,5

Final Ranking U - 18 Girls after 11 Rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB2	TB3
1	2	WFM	KLEYMENOVA, Valeria	FID	2262	10	74,5	78,5
2	16	WFM	PRATITEE, Bordoloi	IND	2129	9	72,5	77
3	4	WIM	WANG, Qinxuanyi	CHN	2254	8	70	75
4	8	WIM	KIRTADZE, Anastasia	GEO	2233	8	66	71
5	30	WFM	EMUJIN, Enkh-Amgalan	MGL	2056	8	62	66,5
6	24	WFM	KHUSLEN, Erdenebayar	MGL	2091	7,5	71	75,5
7	14	WFM	TABERMAKOVA, Leila	FID	2132	7,5	71	75
8	3	FM	LYUTSINGER, Iren	FID	2258	7,5	70,5	76,5
9	6	WFM	PEGLAU, Charis	GER	2238	7,5	67	73
10	10	WFM	MOSKALETS, Sofiia	UKR	2177	7,5	67	72,5

Final Ranking U 16 Open after 11 Rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB2	TB3
1	4	IM	AHMAD, Khagan	AZE	2480	9,5	73,5	79
2	5	IM	TUDOR, Henry Edward	ROU	2460	8,5	71,5	76,5
3	3	IM	NURGALIYEV, Sauat	KAZ	2490	8,5	63	68
4	35	FM	PROKHOROV, Aleksey	FID	2277	8	73,5	78,5
5	16	IM	MARIN FERRAGUT, Pau	ESP	2352	8	64	69,5
6	28	FM	KARVATSKYI, Oleksii	UKR	2304	7,5	74,5	79,5
7	6	IM	GOUTHAM, Krishna H	IND	2439	7,5	72	77,5
8	9	FM	VOLODIN, Alexandr E.	FID	2374	7,5	71	76,5
9	15		DONG, Hongfu	CHN	2353	7,5	70	75,5
10	18	FM	SCHEGLOV, Gleb	FID	2342	7,5	70	75

Final Ranking U 16 Girls after 11 Rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	3	WFM	ABRAMKINA, Veranika	FID	2256	9	0	71,5	77
2	12		JIANG, Tianyu	CHN	2167	8,5	1	74,5	80
3	2	WIM	LI, Rachael	USA	2286	8,5	2	74,5	80
4	1	WIM	KALIAKHMET, Elnaz	KAZ	2326	8	0	74,5	81
5	6	WFM	KHOLYAVKO, Mariya	KAZ	2226	8	0	68,5	73,5
6	13	WIM	MGELADZE, Kesaria	GEO	2147	8	0	66,5	72
7	24	WFM	MENDOZA, Jemaicah Yap	PHI	2057	8	0	66	70
8	18	WFM	SMIRNOVA, Polina A	FID	2092	7,5	0	74,5	80
9	19	WFM	HUSEYNOVA, Lala	AZE	2087	7,5	0	72	78
10	14	WFM	BUYANKHISHIG, Batpelden	MGL	2132	7,5	0	70,5	75

Final Ranking U 14 Open after 11 Rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB2	TB3
1	6	FM	RADZIMSKI, Antoni	POL	2394	9	74	80
2	31	CM	BULGAK, Damir	FID	2186	8,5	70	74
3	4	FM	GUO, Ethan	USA	2404	8	78,5	84
4	10	FM	LACAN RUS, David	FRA	2356	8	74,5	79,5
5	1	IM	SMIRNOV, Mark	KAZ	2436	8	73,5	79
6	26	CM	MAMIKONYAN, Artem T	ARM	2210	8	73	77
7	27	FM	LIU, Patrick	USA	2205	8	72	78
8	5	FM	AMBARTSUMIAN, Tyhran	ARM	2398	8	72	77
9	44	FM	GABADADZE, Gabriel	GEO	2147	8	67,5	72
10	45	FM	MARCHAND, Calix	CAN	2127	8	66,5	70

Final Ranking U 14 Girls after 11 Rounds

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB2	TB3
1	8		ALLAHVERDI, Zahra	AZE	1997	9	71,5	77
2	2	WIM	QIU, Laurie	USA	2122	8,5	74,5	80,5
3	47		ABAK, Tuana	TUR	1813	8,5	69	72
4	9	WFM	BEGMURATOVA, Sarvinoz	UZB	1988	8	74,5	80
5	7	WFM	WU, Shuang(Hlj)	CHN	2003	8	70,5	75,5
6	22		KOVALSKYY, Alicia	GER	1930	8	66	70,5
7	17		ENKHNAMUUN, Batkhishigt	MGL	1945	8	64,5	69,5
8	3	WFM	EJSYMONT, Blanka	POL	2095	7,5	72	77,5
9	32	WCM	KOMILJONOVA, Lazizabonu	UZB	1893	7,5	71	75
10	11	WCM	KAMINSKA, Zuzanna	POL	1985	7,5	69,5	74,5