Turkmen grandmaster Saparmurat Atabayev took third place at the international chess tournament “Karshi Open-2026,” which was dedicated to the memory of Ismat Shukurov. The competition was held in Karshi, Uzbekistan, from May 19 to 24 and brought together 56 chess players from 10 countries, according to the news website Turkmenportal.
The tournament was held under the Swiss system over 9 rounds with classical time control. At the end of the event, Vitaliy Bernadsky, Saidakbar Saidaliyev, and Saparmurat Atabayev each scored 7 points. Based on tie-break criteria, the Turkmen chess player won the bronze medal.
For his performance, S. Atabayev received a cash prize of 30 million Uzbek soums. Saparmurat’s cousin, Yusup Atabayev, also participated in the tournament and finished eighth with 6 points.