On May 11, 2025, Russian Grandmaster(GM) Ivan Zemlyanskii clinched the open title and Kazakhstan’s Woman GM(WGM) Alua Nurman securing the women’s crown at the 2025 Asian Blitz Chess Championship held at Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- The tournament was organized by the Al Ain Chess and Mind Games Club under the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) and the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
- Indian Grandmaster Murali Karthikeyan secured fourth place in the open section and in the women’s category, IM Padmini Rout also achieved a fourth-place at the 2025 Asian Individual Blitz Chess Championship.
Highlights of 2025 Asian Individual Blitz Chess Championship.:
Men’s Category:
i.Ivan Zemlyanskii emerged undefeated to win the Championship title, scoring 8 points out of 9 rounds. He earned USD 2500 cash prize.
- He, played under the FIDE flag, surpassed 30 GMs in a field of 111 players from 25 countries.
- He concluded the event with a final-round draw against Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan.
ii.Sina Movahed of Iran, who scored 7.5 points, finished at the second place. He received USD 1500 as a cash prize.
iii.International Master (IM) Rudik Makarian of Georgia scored 7 points and placed third. He received USD 1000 as a cash prize for third place.
Women’s Category:
i.WGM Alua Nurman clinched the title with 7.5 points defeating Valentina Gunina of Russia based on a superior opponents’ average rating.
- Alua Nurman received USD 1500 as a cash prize, Valentina earned USD 1000 as a reward.
ii.IM Song Yuxin of China concluded at third place with 7 points, ahead of IM Padmini Rout of India and Women Fide Master (WFM) Elnaz Kaliakhmet of Kazakhstan on tiebreaks.
- She received USD 500 as a cash prize.
Winners of 2025 Asian Blitz Chess Championship:
Men’s Category:
| Rank | Player Name | Country | Points | Cash Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Zemlyanskii | FIDE | 8.0 | 2,500 |
| 2 | Â Sina Movahed | Iran | 7.5 | 1,500 |
| 3 | Rudik Makarian | FIDE | 7.0 | 1,000 |
Women’s Category
| Rank | Player Name | Country | Points | Cash Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alua Nurman | Kazakhstan | 7.5 | 1,500 |
| 2 | Valentina Gunina | FIDE | 7.5 | 1,000 |
| 3 | Â Song Yuxin | China | 7.0 | 500 |
Note: The top 10 men in the Asian Blitz Chess Championship 2025 qualify for the 2025 FIDE world cup, while the top two women earn spots in the 2025 FIDE Women’s world cup.
About International Chess Federation (FIDE):
President – Arkady Dvorkovich
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
Establishment – 1924
About Asian Chess Federation (ACF):
President – Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan
Headquarters – Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Established – 1951
