The first round of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad—the world’s premier team chess competition—was played at the Silk Road Samarkand International Expo Center. Both Turkmenistan’s men’s and women’s national teams launched their campaigns with maximum 4-0 sweeps.
Men’s Team: 4-0 vs. Timor-Leste
In the opening round, Turkmenistan (ranked 65th, average rating 2383) faced Timor-Leste (ranked 168th) and won on all four boards:
- Board 1: Grandmaster Saparmurat Atabayev (rating 2503) – Helder de Araujo (1905) – 1-0
- Board 2: FIDE Master Amanmuhammet Hommadov (2389) – Andrade Pinto (1820) – 1-0
- Board 3: Shahrukh Turayev (2222) – Paulo Fernandes de Carvalho (1810) – 1-0
- Board 4: Vepaly Halynyazov (2257) – Mario Melo Nascimento (1788) – 1-0
Grandmaster Meylis Annaberdiyev (2384) rested in the first round and remains in reserve. The men’s team is captained by Honored Trainer of Turkmenistan Serdar Annaberdiyev.
Women’s Team: 4-0 vs. Liechtenstein
Turkmenistan’s women’s team (ranked 55th, average rating 2057) secured a matching 4-0 victory over Liechtenstein (ranked 151st):
- Board 1: Woman Candidate Master Leyla Shohradova (2101) – Timea Zele (1790) – 1-0
- Board 2: Woman FIDE Master Jahan Rejepova (2027) – Sofie Mannhart (1533) – 1-0
- Board 3: Myahri Agamuradova (1939) – Thelma Martinez Hengevoss (1499) – 1-0
- Board 4: Ogulsuray Bayrambayeva (1952) – Doris Heron (unrated) – 1-0
Team leader Woman FIDE Master Lala Shohradova (2147) rested for the opening round. The women’s team is captained by Mergen Kakabayev.