World Junior Blitz Champions Crowned in Al Ain

Champions Revealed at Al Ain Ceremony

AL AIN, United Arab Emirates — India’s Pranav V and Russia’s Valeria Kleymenova were crowned world junior blitz champions at the FIDE World Junior Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2026, held from November 1 to 7 at the Danat Al Ain Resort.

The awards ceremony took place on Friday evening, November 6, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The event drew 185 players from 40 countries competing for four world titles.

Medalists Secured Podium Places

Kleymenova won the girls’ under-20 blitz title with 10 points. Afruza Khamdamova of Uzbekistan earned silver with 9½ points, while Kleymenova’s compatriot Veronika Iudina claimed bronze with the same score.

In the open section, Pranav V captured gold with 10½ points, adding the blitz crown to his earlier classical world junior title. Orozbaev took silver with 9½ points, and Armenia’s Robert Piliposyan finished third, also on 9½ points.

• Pranav V (India) – Gold, 10½ points
• Eldiyar Orozbaev (Kyrgyzstan) – Silver, 9½ points
• Robert Piliposyan (Armenia) – Bronze, 9½ points
• Valeria Kleymenova (Russia) – Girls’ Gold, 10 points
• Afruza Khamdamova (Uzbekistan) – Girls’ Silver, 9½ points
• Veronika Iudina (Russia) – Girls’ Bronze, 9½ points

Arab Players Shone on Home Soil

Syria’s 13-year-old Mazen Fandi impressed by finishing fourth overall with 9½ points, level on score with both silver and bronze medallists. Several special awards recognised outstanding local talent.

Ghaith Saeed Al Nuaimi received the Best Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club Player award with seven points, while Zainab Darwish Almaamari was honoured as Best Female Player with six points. Rashid Husain Alhammadi and Ahoud Eisa Mohamed of the UAE took the Best Arab Player and Best Arab Female Player awards respectively, each scoring eight points. Mariam Khalifa AlQubaisi won Best Under-12 Female Player with six points.

The Best Arab Player awards were introduced to celebrate Al Ain’s designation as the Arab Capital of Tourism for 2026 and to encourage regional talent on the global stage.

Al Ain Continues Chess Hosting Tradition

This marked the third world championship hosted by the Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club, following the 2012 World Cities Chess Championship for the Sheikh Zayed Cup and the 2013 World Youth Chess Championships. The city has built a reputation as a destination for international and continental sporting events.

Organised by the Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club in cooperation with the UAE Chess Federation and under FIDE supervision, the championships reinforced the club’s vision of becoming a global community sports institution.

Source

This report is based on information published by FIDE — International Chess Federation.

Official source: https://www.fide.com/world-junior-blitz-championship-2026-pranav-v-and-kleymenova-claim-titles-in-al-ain/