The team of the Kazakh National University of Sports (KNUS) has advanced to the semifinals of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship-2026, held in Almaty. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

After a 2:2 draw in the first round of the quarterfinals against the National Technical University of Athens, the Kazakh players had to concentrate fully. In the second round, International Master Meruert Kamalidenova won with the white pieces. Satbek Akhmedinov took revenge for his loss in the first round. Arystan Isanzhulov and Kazybek Nogerbek drew their games.

Winning with a total score of 5:3, the team advanced to the semifinals, where they will play tomorrow against the tournament favorites. The team of the Ural State Mining University from Yekaterinburg conceded only half a point to the Chileans in the quarterfinals.

The other semifinal will be purely American. The teams of Saint Louis University and the University of Texas will compete for a place in the final. The Kazakhs will play one of them on Sunday, either for gold or for bronze.

Quarterfinal results

  • 01Ural State Mining University (Russia) – Chilean University 4:0, 3.5:0.5
  • 02KNUS (Kazakhstan) – National Technical University of Athens (Greece) 2:2, 3:1
  • 03University of Texas (USA) – Gunadarma University (Indonesia) 3:1, 2.5:1.5
  • 04Saint Louis University (USA) – Harvard University (USA) 4:0, 3.5:0.5

The semifinals, the match for third place, and the final, like the group stage matches, are played in two rounds. In case of a draw, the winners are determined by a tie-break.

The matches are played on four boards. Each team must have at least one man and at least one woman. The time control is 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move, starting from the first move.

The tournament is organized by FIDE together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, and the akimat of Almaty. General partners are the Freedom group of companies and the Shapagat corporate fund.

The total prize fund is €50,000. The champions will receive €25,000, the vice-champions €15,000, and the third-place team will share €10,000.