The team from the Kazakh National University of Sports (KNUS) lost in the semifinals of the World University Chess Championship and will now compete for third place. Their opponent will be the University of Texas at Dallas, as reported by infohub.kz.
In the semifinal, the Kazakhs faced the Ural State Mining University (Russia). The first round ended in a 2:2 draw. The only win in that segment came from Meruert Kamalidenova, who forced Leya Garifullina to resign on move 63 with the white pieces. Arystan Isanzhulov, playing black, lost to Sergei Lobanov; Kazybek Nogerbek, also with black, drew with Arseny Nesterov; and Satbek Akhmedinov, with white, could not overcome Rudik Makaryan.
In the second round, with colors swapped, the Kazakhs lost 1:3. Kamalidenova again faced Garifullina and this time agreed to a draw, and Nogerbek also drew with Nesterov. However, Isanzhulov and Akhmedinov suffered defeats, which sealed the final result.
In the bronze medal match, the Kazakh team, representing the capital's university, will meet the American University of Texas at Dallas. The opponents' lineup includes Indians Aditya Samant and Chatterjee Kustav, Israeli Yair Parkhov, and Canadian Mayli-Jade Welle.
The final will feature the teams from Ural Mining University and Saint Louis University (USA). The American team includes Indians Chopra Arian and Subramanian Bharat, Slovak Viktor Gazik, Georgian Nikoloz Kacharava, and American Talia Cervantes-Landeiro.
The matches for third place and the final, like the group stage games, are played over two rounds. In case of a draw, the winner will be determined by a tie-break. The matches are played on four boards, with each team required to have at least one man and one woman. The time control is 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move starting from the first move.
The first-ever World University Chess Championship is organized by FIDE together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, and the Akimat of Almaty. The general partners are the Freedom group of companies and the Shapagat corporate fund.
The total prize fund of the tournament is 50,000 euros. The winners will receive 25,000 euros, the finalists 15,000, and the third-place team will share 10,000 euros.