Alexey Sarana outright winner at strong Aktobe Open

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
7/1/2025 – Alexey Sarana triumphed in the 2025 Aktobe Open, held from June 22 to 30 in Kazakhstan, securing the title with 7 points. The tournament, named in memory of Vladimir Dvorkovich, saw a strong international field compete for a guaranteed prize fund of 78,000 USD. Sarana's consistent performance, including key victories in endgames, earned him the top spot, while five players tied for second place. | Foto: FIDE
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

The second seed grabs the title

The International Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial, held from June 22 to 30 in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, concluded with a commanding victory by Alexey Sarana in the Masters tournament. Sarana, representing Serbia, emerged as the sole winner, scoring 7 points. He was the only player to reach this mark, while five others shared second place with 6½ points each. The tournament attracted a strong international field, with Sarana fulfilling his role as one of the favourites, following his seeding behind Chinese grandmaster Wang Hao.

Sarana's journey to victory began with a draw in the opening round. However, he quickly found his stride, securing four consecutive victories to build a strong foundation. Heading into the second half of the tournament, Sarana led with 4½ points. In the final four rounds, his performance remained steady, with another win and a draw securing the title. Despite Wang Hao's five wins and three draws, the Chinese grandmaster was unable to catch up after a difficult start, which included an opening round loss.

Five players, including Aryan Chopra and Zhamsaran Tsydypov, finished tied for second place, each with 6½ points. Chopra's superior tiebreak score earned him second place ahead of Tsydypov in third.

The Masters tournament featured 21 grandmasters, with a guaranteed prize fund of 78,000 USD, with the winner taking home 18,000 USD. The event's title pays tribute to Vladimir Dvorkovich, a Russian chess arbiter and official, and the father of current FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.

This year's tournament reaffirmed Sarana's skill in handling endgame positions. Notably, in round five, he overcame GM Elham Amar of Norway in a rook endgame with an extra pawn.

In round eight, he outplayed sixth seed Sanan Sjugirov in a knight endgame, despite both sides having five pawns each.

These performances showcased Sarana's ability to convert slight advantages into victories and sealed his position as the deserved champion of the Aktobe Open.

Final standings

Rg. Name Pkt. TB1
1 Sarana, Alexey 7 43
2 Aryan, Chopra 6,5 44,5
3 Tsydypov, Zhamsaran 6,5 42,5
4 Iniyan, Pa 6,5 42,5
5 Kazhgaleyev, Murtas 6,5 41
6 Wang, Hao 6,5 40,5
7 Xue, Haowen 6 44
8 Sargsyan, Shant 6 42,5
9 Sjugirov, Sanan 5,5 45,5
10 Cheparinov, Ivan 5,5 43,5
11 Bocharov, Dmitry 5,5 42
12 Nogerbek, Kazybek 5,5 42
13 Amilal, Munkhdalai 5,5 41,5
14 Ilamparthi, A R 5,5 39
15 Yilmaz, Mustafa 5,5 38
16 Khamdamova, Afruza 5,5 37,5
17 Davtyan, Artur 5 45,5
18 Urazayev, Arystanbek 5 45
19 Rostovtsev, Dmitry 5 42,5
20 Utegaliyev, Azamat 5 42,5
21 Amar, Elham 5 42,5
22 Goutham, Krishna H 5 42,5
23 Aditya, Mittal 5 41
24 Suleymenov, Alisher 5 40,5
25 Korchmar, Vasiliy 5 39,5

...68 players

All available games

Links

<< Simply impregnable
1 July 1971: FIDE introduces Elo ratings >>
Topics: Aktobe Open 2025, Alexey Sarana
Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors

See also

Strong field at Masters Open in Aktobe (Kazakhstan)

6/24/2025 – FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made the ceremonial first move on Sunday at a strong open tournament in Aktobe. The event has been held since 2019 as a memorial for his father, Vladimir Dvorkovich. Top seed is Wang Hao but in his first game the Chinese grandmaster suffered a loss. | Photos: Tournament page
More...
 1

See also

Chessable Masters: Keymer and Sarana prevail in Divisions II and III

2/7/2024 – Vincent Keymer won Division II of the Chessable Masters by beating Levon Aronian in the Grand Final Reset — i.e. Aronian, who came from winning the losers’ bracket, beat Keymer in their first match of the day (the Grand Final per se). Similarly, Alexey Sarana won Division III in the Grand Final Reset, as he defeated Alexander Grischuk in a rematch. | Photo: WR Chess / Lennart Ootes
More...
 1

Video

MiddleGame 08594EC Springing pawns

A pawn move can change the character of the whole position. Jussupow-Anand (Linares 1991) is all about such powerful pawn moves.