The World Schools Individual Championship was held from December 2 till December 12 in Sochi. More than 400 young chess players from 30 countries took part in the event, for the first time ever hosted in Russia.
In the spring of 2016, the Presidential Board of FIDE unanimously supported the bid made by Russian Chess Federation. The opportunity to organize one of the key children events of the FIDE calendar was contested by a number of other countries, including Turkey, China, and India.
The World Schools Chess Championship is held once a year under the aegis of FIDE. The tournament is divided into six age categories, and is open for winners of individual school competitions aged from 7 to 17.
The organizers of the event are FIDE, RCF, and International Schools Chess Union.
Medal winners in all age groups:
Girls Under 7: 1. A. Khamdamova (Uzbekistan) – 7.5, 2. O. Olimova (Uzbekistan) – 6.5, 3. A. Rouda (UAE) – 6.5;
Open Under 7: 1. N. Sodbilegt (Mongolia) – 8. 2. Wei Xiaoxi (China) – 7.5. 3. K. Begmuratov (Uzbekistan) – 7;
Girls Under 9: 1. S. Gasimova (Azerbaijan) – 7.5, 2. G. Mikheeva (Russia) – 7, 3. V. Shubenkova (Russia) – 7;
Open Under 9: 1. L. Lystsov (Russia) – 7.5, 2. G. Simonyan (Russia) – 7.5, 3. D. Maneluk (Russia) – 7;
Girls Under 11: 1. P. Dhyana (India) – 7.5, 2. E. Nasyrova (Russia) – 7, 3. M. Kamalidenova (Kazakhstan) – 6.5;
Open Under 11: 1. I. Makoveev (Russia) – 7, 2. D. Sindarov (Uzbekistan) – 7, 3. M. Petkov (Bulgaria) – 7;
Girls Under 13: 1. N. Bashkansky (USA) – 7, 2. I. Popova (Russia) – 6.5, 3. N. Tharushi (Sri Lanka) – 6.5;
Open Under 13: 1. N. Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) – 8, 2. H. Thilakarathne (Sri Lanka) – 7.5, 3. B.-E. David (Romania) – 6.5;
Girls Under 15: 1. A. Harshini (India) – 7.5, 2. A. Sakorenko (Russia) – 6.5, 3. I. Arda (Turkey) – 6:
Open Under 15: 1. O. Bykov (Russia) – 7.5, 2. M. Ibrahimli (Azerbaijan) – 7.5, 3. N. Yakubboev (Uzbekistan) – 7;
Girls Under 17: 1. A. Dimitrova (Russia) – 8.5, 2. A. Arbunova (Russia) – 6.5, 3. S. Dogan (Turkey) – 5.5;
Open Under 17: 1. S. Atabayev (Turkmenistan) – 7, 2. B. Ozen (Turkey) – 6.5, 3. D. Cherednichenko (Russia) – 6.
Russian delegation won 13 medals – 4 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals, showing the highest combined score.
Photos: Dmitry Kryakvin
Official site: http://ruchess.ru/en
