Kazakhstani talents face consolidated GMs
The KazChess Masters Almaty is taking place from 30 June to 8 May in Almaty, the most populous city in Kazakhstan, which was the country’s capital from 1929 to 1991. Almaty is also the second-largest city in Central Asia and the fourth-largest in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The tournament is a ten-player single round-robin organised by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. The games are played with a classical time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to finish the game, with a 30-second increment from move one.
This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas.
Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King's Indian Setup
The tournament concept pairs five established international grandmasters, rated between 2640 and 2672, with five rising Kazakhstani players rated between 2436 and 2551. The invited foreign players are Igor Kovalenko from Ukraine, Alexey Sarana from Serbia, Sam Shankland from the United States, Maksim Chigaev from Spain and Alexander Donchenko from Germany.
Similar competitions were organised in November last year (won by Sarana) and in March this year (won by Pranav Venkatesh).
The Kazakhstani contingent includes 19-year-old IM Alua Nurman, the second-highest rated woman player in the country, behind Bibisara Assaubayeva, and the sixteenth highest-rated player in Kazakhstan overall.
Round one saw two of the international grandmasters scoring wins to grab an early shared lead. Igor Kovalenko produced a strong attacking game to beat Alexander Donchenko, while Sam Shankland got the better of local representative IM Aldiyar Ansat after converting an endgame with two rooks and an extra pawn against a rook, a bishop and a knight. Both early co-leaders scored their wins with the white pieces.
Kovalenko 1-0 Donchenko
Standings after round 1
All games
Chess is a concrete game. There is no way around training your calculation skills. Improve your visualization, pattern recognition and learn calculation techniques such as reciprocal thinking with this course.
Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn't only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Quiet Moves
.jpeg)
.jpeg)