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
Position | Name | Country | Rating | Points |
1. | Maxim Matlakov | RUS | 2575 | 9 |
2. | Ivan Salgado Lopez | ESP | 2562 | 8.5 |
3. | Kacper Piorun | POL | 2475 | 8 |
4. | Ivan Rozum | RUS | 2458 | 8 |
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.
Position | Name | Country | Rating | Points |
1. | SP Sethuraman | IND | 2447 | 9 |
2. | Santosh GujrathiVidit | IND | 2459 | 9 |
3. | Maxime Lagarde | FRA | 2393 | 8 |
4. | Ilia Nyzhnyk | UKR | 2494 | 8 |
5. | Frode Urkedal | NOR | 2409 | 8 |
6. | Das Debashis | IND | 2381 | 8 |
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.
Position | Name | Country | Rating | Points |
1. | Olga Girya | RUS | 2340 | 8.5 |
2. | Keti Tsatsalashvili | GEO | 2288 | 8.5 |
3. | Kubra Oztuka | TUR | 2177 | 8 |
4. | Anastasia Savina | RUS | 2401 | 8 |
5. | Gulishkan Nakhbayeva | KAZ | 2201 | 8 |
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