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The inaugural "Kids Expo-Chess Cup 2026" international chess tournament concluded as part of the "Kids Expo: Everything for Children" fair in Ashgabat. Featuring rapid and blitz disciplines, the event gathered 79 local players from Turkmenistan alongside 15 international contenders representing Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Iran, all competing for 36 total medals.
Turkmenistan dominated the overall medal standings, securing 24 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, and 8 bronze). Iranian players earned 4 gold medals, Kazakhstan claimed 1 gold and 3 bronze, Uzbekistan won 2 silver and 1 bronze, while Azerbaijan rounded out the tally with 1 silver medal.
In the Rapid event, Lachyn Isayeva (Turkmenistan) and Zakariya Amirov (Kazakhstan) took first place in the U8 division. The U10 categories were won by Byagul Jumayeva (Turkmenistan) and Kiasha Mahboubi (Iran), while Dilber Hupbyyeva (Turkmenistan) and Sadra Roshantab (Iran) secured gold in the U12 bracket.
The Blitz section saw Nazli Kakageldyyeva and Begmyrat Agamammedov (both Turkmenistan) top the U8 categories. Selbi Arslanova (Turkmenistan) and Kiasha Mahboubi (Iran) finished first in the U10 division. In the U12 age group, Dilber Hupbyyeva (Turkmenistan) and Sadra Roshantab (Iran) replicated their earlier success to secure a double gold finish across both disciplines.
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