Chess players of Turkmenistan started their performance at the World Junior Championships under 20 with confidence. After two days of competitions taking place in the Indian city of Gandhinagar, Turkmen athletes are in the leading group.
After two rounds, Turkmenistan's women's champion and FIDE master candidate Meryem Agajanova, as well as the country's U20 girls' and FIDE master's champion Lala Shohradova scored two points each, defeating Indian rivals Modipalli Diikshitha and Drishti Ghosh.
Serious tests await them in the next round: Agajanova will have a match with the Kazakh FIDE master Liya Kurmangaliyeva, and Shohradova will face the representative of Armenia Mariam Mkrtchyan, the European U18 champion.
Among the boys, Ahmet Gubatayev, vice-champion of Turkmenistan under 20, distinguished himself. In the first round he drew with the Armenian international grandmaster Emin Ogonyan, and in the second he defeated another Armenian grandmaster Mamikon Gharibyan. In the third round he will meet with the Indian FIDE master Apoorv Kamble.
Other Turkmen athletes also achieved success. Jahan Rejepova, the national champion under 14 years old, and multiple medalist of national championships Azim Saryev completed the second round with victories.
More than 200 chess players from 44 countries are participating in the championship, which ends on June 13. The tournament is held according to the Swiss system in 11 rounds.