Early upsets

The Atyrau Open 2026 is taking place in Kazakhstan from 12 to 20 October as the third stage of the Kazakhstan Chess Cup. The competition features two sections, Masters and Open, with a combined guaranteed prize fund of approximately US$100,000.

Both tournaments are played over nine rounds using the Swiss system, with a time control of 90 minutes for the game and a 30-second increment from move one. The regulations stipulate that draws cannot be offered before move 30, while games are broadcast with a 15-minute delay as part of the tournament's fair-play measures. The ninth and final round is scheduled for Tuesday 20 October.

Master Class Vol. 18: Max Euwe

Experts examine the games of Max Euwe. Let them show you which openings Euwe chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, which tactical abilities he had or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world's best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world's best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
Free video sample: Openings

Organised by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, with support from the country's Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Atyrau Region Department of Physical Culture and Sports, the event is being held at the transcontinental city, located at the mouth of the Ural River on the Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia.

The Atyrau Bridge crosses the Ural River | Photo: Zhanna Lorde via Wikimedia Commons

The Masters section has attracted grandmasters from several countries, including Uzbekistan, India, France, Bulgaria, Georgia and Iran. The top seed is Uzbekistan's Shamsiddin Vokhidov (2649), followed by Indian grandmasters Leon Luke Mendonca (2629), Aditya Mittal (2621) and Pranav Anand (2606).

The remaining players in the top ten of the starting list are Maxim Matlakov (2596), Gata Kamsky (2592), Arkadij Naiditsch (2580), Baadur Jobava (2572), Bardiya Daneshvar (2571) and Ivan Zemlyanskii (2563). Kamsky, a former World Championship challenger, now represents France, while Naiditsch plays under the Bulgarian flag.

The Masters tournament offers a substantial prize fund of its own, with 9 million Kazakhstani tenge allocated to the winner, approximately US$20,000. Additional prizes are available for leading female players, Kazakhstani participants and competitors in rating categories.

Gata Kamsky | Photo: Kazakhstan Chess Federation

The first two rounds produced notable surprises, with the highest-rated player in each round suffering defeat against an opponent rated more than 150 Elo points lower.

In round one, Vietnamese GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (2405) defeated top seed Shamsiddin Vokhidov (2649), overcoming a rating deficit of 244 points. The Uzbek player reached an objectively drawn endgame with opposite-coloured bishops and equal material, but subsequently made an error that allowed his opponent to secure the full point.

Another upset followed in round two, when Armenian IM Sergey Sklokin-Bagiyan (2477) defeated second seed Leon Luke Mendonca (2629). The Indian grandmaster had survived a clearly inferior middlegame position and managed to restore equality. However, he badly misjudged a simplification, allowing White to get a new queen by force.

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Two players started the event with three wins in as many rounds and are now tied for first place: Pranav Anand, the 4^th seed from India, and Khagan Ahmad, the 18^th seed from Azerbaijan. Ahmad defeated the aforementioned Sklokin-Bagiyan in round three.

A group of thirteen players stands a half point back. With six rounds remaining, the leading contenders will have opportunities to recover from their early setbacks.

Kids enjoying a post-mortem session | Photo: Kazakhstan Chess Federation

Standings after round 3

...109 players

All available games

Links

• Official website
• All technical information on Chess-Results