Kazakhstan’s young chess prodigy wins third world championship title in Spain
Kazakhstan’s chess team topped the overall standings at the 2026 World U7–U17 Chess Championships, which concluded on October 20 in Roquetas de Mar, Spain, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Ahead of Kazakhstan’s Republic Day, the national team won 13 medals, including seven gold, two silver and four bronze. Among the gold medalists was 13-year-old Danis Kuandykuly, who claimed his third world championship title.
The international competition brought together 721 chess players from 82 countries. The participants competed over 11 rounds for medals in 12 age and gender categories. Kazakhstan topped the medal standings, finishing ahead of Mongolia and Uzbekistan.
Danis delivered an outstanding performance in the under-13 category, scoring 10.5 points out of a possible 11. He won 10 games and drew one, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament. He finished 1.5 points ahead of his closest rival from Egypt.
This was Danis’s third world championship title. He first became world champion in 2023 in Egypt in the under-10 category. Two years later, he repeated the achievement in the under-12 category at the world championships in Almaty. His victory in Spain adds to the young Kazakhstani athlete’s growing list of international achievements. Danis said he dedicated his third world title to Kazakhstan as a gift to the country for Republic Day.
Other Kazakhstani players also achieved impressive results. Leila Aldazharova, Makar Chernyshov, Amaliya Yedresheva, Milana Filippova, Amirzhan Anetov and Aldiyar Zhauynbay became world champions in their respective age categories. Milana Filippova achieved a perfect score, winning all 11 games in the girls’ under-11 category.
The success in Spain adds to a strong season for Kazakhstan’s chess. In September 2026, Kazakhstan’s women’s team won silver at the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, repeating its 2024 achievement.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan continues to expand its youth chess development programs. According to the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, the Chess in Education program now covers more than 1,500 schools and 60,000 students.
The results in Spain once again highlighted the competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s rising chess generation on the international stage. Seven world titles and first place in the medal standings marked another significant achievement for the country’s chess community.