The first stage of the Grand Prix chess tournament, a completely new tournament organized by the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan, has started in Ashgabat. This unique competition, which began on March 17, is attended by 127 players: 83 in the open category and 44 in the women's category.

The series of six tournaments is held in a classic format, will cover all five velayats of Turkmenistan and will be held in five cities: Ashgabat, Turkmenbashi, Dashoguz, Turkmenabat and Mary. The Ashgabat stage marked the start of this prestigious competition series. The final stage will also be held in the capital.
The main goal of the Grand Prix series is to provide chess players from all over the country with top-class game practice and create various opportunities to get into the top league, thereby stimulating the development and popularization of chess in our country.

The peculiarity of the tournament is that it is from this tournament that the online broadcast of games in real time begins in the chess history of Turkmenistan. Each move that chess players make at the board is immediately, with the help of special sensors built into the chess pieces and the board, converted into digital format and transmitted to online platforms using the DGT LiveChess application.

Chess fans, professionals and just spectators from all over the world can watch every move, analyze the opponents' play, empathize and enjoy exciting games. Moreover, you can watch the clock indicators, i.e. the minutes and seconds remaining for each player, after each move, which adds additional intrigue to chess fans.

The Lichess platform, through which the broadcast of this tournament is conducted, is considered the most popular among chess fans for watching games of various tournaments from all over the world live.
As part of the broadcast from the current tournament, 7 boards are presented in the open category and 3 boards in the women's category, which will allow viewers to follow intense matches and support their favorites. However, the joint plans of the Chess Federation and the Ashgabat Specialized Chess and Checkers School are to increase the number of boards for simultaneous broadcast.

The Dutch company DGT, a manufacturer of specialized chess equipment for online broadcasting, and the leading Turkmen IT company Imdat Elektronika also assist in the implementation of these technical tasks.
The Chess Federation believes that this technical innovation is another step towards turning chess into a real spectacular sport for a wide range of fans.
Based on the results of the entire series of Grand Prix tournaments, 16 best players in each category will be determined, who will advance to the final stage of the playoffs, where they will play knockout games. The winners in both categories will receive direct tickets to the 2026 Turkmenistan Premier League, where the national team will be formed.

The first Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup to be held outside of Asia has begun in the United Kingdom, as reported by the online publication Insidethegames.biz.

The tournament features teams from across the globe, comprising 16 men's and 8 women's teams divided into four groups. Among the men's teams, India, Pakistan, and Germany are considered favorites, while India and England are the favorites in the women's division.

The tournament will run until March 23rd and will take place in cities such as Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. It will also be available for viewing on online platforms.

The tournament not only highlights the growing prominence of kabaddi but also serves as a symbol of inclusivity and diversity in sport.

"The fact that the Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup is being held outside of Asia for the first time is a clear indication of the global growth of this sport. Kabaddi is gaining popularity worldwide, and we hope it will soon become part of the Olympic Games", stated Ashok Das, President of the International Kabaddi Federation.

Kabaddi, which originated in India several thousand years ago, is a sport that combines tactical skill, speed, and strength. Two teams of seven players compete on a field to capture a flag.

Ahal defeated Kopetdag in the match of the 3rd round of the Turkmenistan Football Championship among Major League teams.

The meeting in Goktepe etrap ended with a score of 4:0 in favor of the hosts. The goals were scored by Dayanch Meredov (23rd minute), Gurban Annayev (35th), Suleyman Kadirov (76th, own goal) and Yakupmuhammet Govshudov (90+3).

Ahal, which has a match in reserve, scored 6 points and rose to second place in the standings, two points ahead of Merv and Nebichi. Kopetdag takes the last, 8th place, with zero points.

In the other matches of the day, Nebichi drew with Shagadam at home (0-0), while Merv shared points with Ashgabat (0-0) on the road.

Kuwaiti Al-Arabi tied with Omani Al-Seeb in the return match of the ¼ finals of the AFC Challenge League in the West zone. The meeting, which took place on Thursday night in Oman, ended with a score of 2:2, but thanks to a minimal victory (1:0) in the first match, the Kuwaitis won a ticket to the semi-finals, where the Arkadag footballers were already waiting for them.

Arkadag and Al-Arabi have already met in the group stage of the AFC Challenge League, where the Turkmen team lost with a score of 2:3.

The semi-final matches will be held on April 9 and 16. Arkadag will play the first game away, and the return game at its home stadium in the city of Arkadag.

Let us remind that Arkadag reached the semi-finals of the third most important club tournament in Asia for the first time in its history. In the quarterfinals, the Turkmen team defeated the Indian East Bengal, winning in Kolkata with a score of 1:0, and in the return match at home – 2:1.

The Turkmenistan national tennis team made a successful debut at the prestigious ITF Master's World Team Championship tournament, held in Manavgat, Türkiye. The national team in the 30+ age category made it to the quarterfinals of the competition, where 12 of the world's strongest teams are competing, reports the publication "Turkmenistan: Golden Age".

Turkmenistan is represented at this tournament by the country's number one tennis player Yuri Rogusskiy, bronze medalist of the 2024 Turkmenistan Cup Gurbanberdy Gurbanberdyev, as well as former number ones of the country Aleksandr Ernepesov and Eziz Dovletov. The latter two won the Davis Cup in Group IV of the Asia and Oceania Zone as part of the national team in 2013. The team captain is the head coach of the national men's team and the Ashgabat Tennis Academy Mirali Gasanov, the only holder of the PRO Level certificate in Turkmenistan.

In the group stage, the Turkmen team lost to the UK team with a score of 0:3, but in the decisive match for reaching the quarterfinals, they won an important victory over the Canadian team.

In the first singles match, Alexander Ernepesov beat Jabrill Kabli with a score of 7:5, 6:3, but in the second match, Canadian Nicholas Vincent prevailed over Yuri Rogusskiy – 7:6, 6:2. The fate of the ticket to the quarterfinals was decided in the doubles match, where Ernepesov and Rogusskiy snatched victory from Kabli and Vincent in a tie-break – 6:4, 7:6(4).

Reaching the top eight teams in the world was a historic achievement for Turkmen tennis, especially considering that this was the team’s debut performance at this tournament.

In the quarterfinals, the Turkmen tennis players will meet the Indian team. In the remaining matches for the semifinals, Argentina will play Sweden, Germany will play Türkiye, and the USA will play Great Britain.

On Wednesday, Arkadag Football Club beat East Bengal 2-1 in the AFC Challenge League match, securing a place in the semi-finals of the tournament.

The meeting took place in the city of Arkadag. Altymurad Annadurdiyev played a key role in the victory, coming on as a substitute and scoring two goals against the Indian club. A player named Messi scored for the visiting team.

This result allowed the Turkmen club to continue playing in the Asian tournament and advance to the next stage of the competition.

A referee team from Lebanon has been appointed for the return match of the 1/4 finals of the AFC Challenge League between Turkmenistan's Arkadag and India's East Bengal. The chief referee is Sheikh Ahmad Alaeddin.

The refereeing team also included assistant referees Samer Badr and Ali Berri, reserve referee Muath Owfi Eman (Palestine) and match commissioner Davlatmand Islomov (Tajikistan).

The meeting will take place on March 12 at the Arkadaga Stadium and will start at 15:30 local time. The hosts will take to the field in a white uniform, East Bengal will play in red. In the first match, which took place a week ago in Calcutta, Arkadag won 1-0.

On the eve of the game, a press conference was held in Ashgabat with the participation of representatives of both teams.

On March 12, Arkadag Football Club will host Indian East Bengal in the second leg of the 1/4 finals of the AFC Challenge League. The game will take place at the home stadium in Arkadag and will start at 15:30 local time.

On the eve of the important match, the head coach of the Turkmen team, Dovletmyrat Annayev, and striker Didar Durdyev held a pre-match press conference, where they shared their expectations for the upcoming meeting.

Answering a question about the state of the team, Dovletmyrat Annaev emphasized the high level of readiness of the players: "A team in such tournaments should always be ready to the maximum, because if you are not ready to the maximum, there is no point in participating in such tournaments." According to the coach, the players do not need additional motivation.: "Playing in a club like Arkadag is already a motivation."

Regarding tactics for the upcoming game, the coach of the Turkmen club noted that the team is preparing for various scenarios for the development of the match: "In modern football, it is a thankless task to assume in advance how the match will go. We are ready for different game situations."

Forward Didar Durdyev, commenting on the first match in India, which Arkadag won away (1-0), acknowledged the difficulty of the game in unusual climatic conditions.: "It was a little hard because of the weather, but everything went well. The most important thing is that we completed the task and won the away match."

At the same time, the player noted that the team does not relax before the home game: "We know, this does not mean anything that we won the first match. In the second game, at home, at home, the task is also to win."

Turkmen tennis players will make their debut at a prestigious international tournament in Türkiye, where they will compete with the best teams in the world, reports the publication “Turkmenistan: Golden Age”.

The ITF Masters World Team Championship will start in Manavgat, Türkiye, where the national team of Turkmenistan will participate for the first time. The tournament will bring together 126 teams that will compete in the age categories of 30, 35, 40 and 45+ years.

The Turkmen team will compete in the 30+ category, where 12 teams divided into 4 groups will compete for the title. The Turkmen team is in group “B” along with the teams of Great Britain and Canada. The winners of the groups will advance to the playoffs.

The Turkmen team received an invitation to this prestigious tournament, held according to the Davis Cup rules, last year during a visit to the country by the President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) David Haggerty.

The national team included: the country's number one tennis player Yuri Rogusskiy, bronze medalist of the 2024 Turkmenistan Cup Gurbanberdy Gurbanberdyev, as well as former number one tennis players of the country Aleksandr Ernepesov and Eziz Dovletov, who together won the Davis Cup in Group IV of the Asia and Oceania zone in 2013.

Mirali Gasanov, the head coach of the country's men's team and the only holder of a PRO Level certificate in Turkmenistan, which gives the right to work with professional players in any country in the world, has been appointed captain of the team.

The Turkmen tennis players will play their first match at the tournament against the UK team.

The East Bengal footballers arrived in Turkmenistan, where they will play against Arkadag in the return match of the ¼ finals of the AFC Challenge League. The first meeting in Kolkata ended with a victory for the Turkmen team with a score of 1:0.

According to the press service of the Indian team, the visiting footballers held a training session on Monday under the guidance of head coach Oscar Bruzon at the stadium in the Buzmeyin etrap of Ashgabat, which is the home arena for Altyn Asyr.

The return match of the 1/4 finals of the AFC Challenge League Arkadag – East Bengal will take place at the stadium of the “smart” city on March 12 at 15:30 Ashgabat time.

On the eve of the game, representatives of the teams will give a press conference.

The results of the draw for the 1/2 finals of the Belarusian Cup have become known.

Vitebsk, for which Vepa Jumaev plays, and Torpedo-BelAZ, for which Teymur Chariyev plays, recognized their rivals.

Draw results:

• Torpedo-BelAZ (Zhodino) – ML (Vitebsk)
• Neman (Grodno) – Vitebsk
• The first matches will be played in April, and the second matches will be played in May.

In the quarterfinals, Vitebsk turned out to be stronger than Slutsk (2:0 and 0:0), and Torpedo-BelAZ passed Dynamo Brest by the sum of two meetings (0:0 and 1:0).

From February 25 to March 8, the World Chess Championship among players under 20 was held in Petrovac (Montenegro). Six chess players from Turkmenistan participated in the tournament - three boys and three girls, who demonstrated a worthy fight in the international arena.
The tournament brought together 255 of the world's strongest chess players from more than 60 countries. The games were held in 11 rounds according to the Swiss system in two categories: open (OPEN) and among girls. In the open category, 157 chess players competed, while among girls, 98 participants entered the fight.

Tournament results for the Turkmenistan team
In the men's category, the Turkmenistan team was represented by Amanmuhammet Khommadov (5.5 points), Vepaly Khalyniyazov (5 points) and Serdar Bayramov (4 points). The winner of the tournament in this category was Indian grandmaster Venkatesh Pranav (FIDE rating - 2615), who scored 9 points and won the world champion title.

In the women's category, Turkmenistan was represented by sisters Lala and Leyla Shokhradova, as well as Gulmira Seyilkhanova. Lala scored 5 points, Leyla and Gulmira - 4.5 points each. In this group, the world champion title was won by 16-year-old Russian Anna Shukhman, who scored 9 points (FIDE rating - 2365).

Given the strong lineup of participants, five out of six Turkmen chess players increased their FIDE ratings. Khalyniyazov scored the most rating points, adding 65 more to his 2157 points. Also, worth mentioning are Bayramov (2007, +56) and Seyilkhanova (1939, +51). Overall, our chess players performed at about the level of their seeding at the start of the tournament.

Experience, analysis and preparation for new battles
The tournament became a valuable experience for young chess players of Turkmenistan. For the coaching staff, the games played and the results will be the subject of further analysis and improvement of the preparation process, the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan noted.

New international tournaments are ahead for Turkmen chess players. In April, they plan to participate in the Central Asian Zonal Championship (Kazakhstan), the World Rapid and Blitz Championship among boys and girls (Greece), the Moscow State University Cup and other prestigious competitions. Time for preparation remains limited, and the coaching staff plans to carry out thorough work to achieve high results in these tournaments, the SCF added.