Press release by FIDE

GM Daneshvar Bardiya (Iran) and IM Song Yuxin (China) emerged as the winners of the 2025 Asian Chess Championship. Both the Open and Women's competitions - nine-round Swiss tournaments - took place from May 6–15 at the Danat Resort Hotel in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, bringing together over 250 players from 38 countries.

In the Open tournament, it was a tight race until round 6, when 12^th seed Bardiya Daneshvar seized the lead and never looked back. After a crucial victory over Abhimanyu Puranik of India in the penultimate round, he entered the final round with a score of 7/8, a full point ahead of his closest competitors.

The Classical Sicilian - A Timeless Counterattacking Weapon

The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay.
The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3

Despite losing in the final round to top seed Nihal Sarin, who tied with him in the final standings, each with 7/9 points, Daneshvar claimed gold thanks to the superior average rating of his opponents. Nihal took silver, while Shamsiddin Vokhidov secured the bronze, edging out five players (all with 6½/9) on tiebreaks.

Top seed Nihal Sarin defeated eventual champion Bardiya Daneshvar in the final round

Final standings – Open

...154 players

All available games

The Women’s section was a tightly contested tournament, with as many as seven players vying for gold going into the final round. Vantika Agrawal (India) defeated leader Bat-Erdene Mungunzul (Mongolia) to catch up at the top.

Meanwhile, IM Song Yuxin (China) crushed the French Defence of IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (Uzbekistan) in just 32 moves. WGM Xeniya Balabayeva (Kazakhstan) also pulled off an important win over Munguntuul Batkhuyag.

The Scotch Game

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

As a result, four players tied for first place. Song Yuxin captured the title based on the highest average rating of her opponents. Using the same tiebreaker, Mungunzul and Balabayeva claimed silver and bronze, respectively.

Song Yuxin playing white against Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova

Final standings – Women's

...100 players

All available games

The closing ceremony featured ACF President Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan, who extended heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to the success of this prestigious event -including organizing committees, technical teams, administrative staff, and volunteers.

He also congratulated all the winners and those who qualified for the FIDE World Cup, wishing them the best as ambassadors of Asia on the world stage.

Sheikh Sultan took the opportunity to announce the signing of an agreement between the Al Ain Chess and Mind Games Club and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to launch the FIDE Al Ain ACMG Academy. This global academy aims to elevate chess worldwide, nurture talent across all continents, and provide world-class training under top international coaches, following best practices and global standards. Services will be delivered in ten languages.

Links

• Official website
• Full technical information on Chess-Results: Open | Women
• Daneshvar wins Sharjah Masters, Divya clinches Challengers (2024)