World Youth Championships

Kemer in Turkey was the host for this year's event. The new World champions in several events ranging from the under-18s down to the under-8s are now known.

Many young players from around the world go to the World Youth Championships with high hopes, but there can only be three medalists in each age group.

So many national champions return home with the knowledge that there are just so many strong players around in their age group. The lesson is learnt that they will have to improve if they want to get into the medals in future!

The boys under-18s often features a number of players who are on their way to joining the elite of top grandmasters. In this year's event, the two pre-tournament favourites vied for top spot with the Russian Maxim Matlakov finishing ahead with 9/11. Here are the top places in the blue riband events:

Boys under-18s

PositionNameCountryRatingPoints
1.Maxim MatlakovRUS25759
2.Ivan Salgado LopezESP25628.5
3.Kacper PiorunPOL24758
4.Ivan RozumRUS24588

Two Russians in the top four with Rozum missing out on a medal on the tie-break.

A sign of things to come was the presence of three Indians in the top six in the boys under-sixteens.

PositionNameCountryRatingPoints
1.SP SethuramanIND24479
2.Santosh GujrathiViditIND24599
3.Maxime LagardeFRA23938
4.Ilia NyzhnykUKR24948
5.Frode UrkedalNOR24098
6.Das DebashisIND23818

The Russian squad could also lay claim to gold in the girls under-18s, however their leading player, the number one seed, was squeezed out of the medals.

The organizing country were delighted that their own participant scraped into the bronze medal position.

PositionNameCountryRatingPoints
1.Olga GiryaRUS23408.5
2.Keti TsatsalashviliGEO22888.5
3.Kubra OztukaTUR21778
4.Anastasia SavinaRUS24018
5.Gulishkan NakhbayevaKAZ22018

We will have more details later on including my wife's first hand impressions when she finally gets home after various travel difficulties on the return journey. Meanwhile it's worth looking at the official site


Published on , Updated on