Six players win world amateur chess titles in Malaysia

Amir Tulegenov took the Open U2300 world amateur chess title on tiebreak after finishing level with two rivals. Dolgormaa Lkhavgasuren also won her category on tiebreak at the completed championships in Klang, Malaysia.

The six amateur titles were contested in open and women’s categories with rating limits, separate from the unrestricted World Chess Championship. Play ran from 5 November through 12 November 2026, at the KSL Esplanade Hotel.

India’s Pavithra R V won the Women’s U2300 title with 7½/9. Malaysia’s Aqil Ainuddin Naufal Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah won Open U2000 with 8/9, a full point clear.

Ukraine’s Anastasiia Osadchuk won Women’s U2000 with 7½/9. Mongolia’s Javkhlan Bayarjargal won Open U1700 with 8½/9, the highest score at the event.

The other medalists

The silver and bronze medalists’ scores show how close each race was to the champion. Players tied on points were separated by tiebreaks where needed.

Ainakul took silver ahead of Maniswar on tiebreak. Zorigoo likewise edged Malaysia’s Nur Ain Shahar for bronze; Shahar finished fourth after beating Osadchuk in the final round, after the Ukrainian had secured her title in Round 8. Odmaa Enkhsaikhan won her final game to secure silver.

How the titles were settled

Tulegenov drew his last game with Malaysia’s Genivan Genkeswaran while Tran and Jaskolka won theirs, creating the tie at the top. Jaskolka defeated overnight co-leader Nestor Favian Lozano Ramirez. The Open U2300 standings used Buchholz Cut1 as their first tiebreak, listing Tulegenov on 44, Tran on 43.5 and Jaskolka on 38.

In Women’s U1700, Kuan defeated Lkhavgasuren to earn bronze, while Naranbaatar beat Malaysia’s Farah Liyana Salihin to draw level with Lkhavgasuren, who kept gold on tiebreak. Pavithra, Aqil and Bayarjargal all finished unbeaten; Bayarjargal’s score was the highest at the event. Pavithra drew her final game with Mumtozbegim Mansurova. Aqil recorded seven wins and two draws, drawing his last game with Mukhtar Ainakul. Bayarjargal finished with eight wins and one draw after beating Anshu Kr Pathak in the final round; Tang Keran beat Munkhbat Batnyam to take silver.

The Open U2300 competition used a Swiss format, in which players are paired across rounds rather than eliminated after a loss. Its time control gave each player 90 minutes, with 30 seconds added per move from the start.