KazChess Masters Nauryz 2026
10 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 21 Mar 2026 to 29 Mar 2026 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. 10 titled players from 6 federations. Top 10 Elo average was 2534, and top seed was Alexey Sarana (🇷🇸 SRB, GM, 2683).
V Pranav (🇮🇳 IND, GM, 2641) won with 7.5/9, ahead of Shamsiddin Vokhidov (6.0) and Benjamin Gledura (5.0). Pranav won solo starting round 2.
The biggest upset came in round 8: Danis Kuandykuly (FM, 2386) beat Alexey Sarana (GM, 2683), a +297-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 10 · 9 roundsGM V Pranav led from R2 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
GM V Pranav never relinquished the lead after R2; final gap +1.5 over the runner-up.
GM V Pranav opens a +1.5-point gap over the chasing pack (closest: GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov); the title is out of reach before R9.
GM V Pranav beat GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Black).
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇮🇳GMPranav, V | 2641 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7.5 | 30.75 | 37.5 | +16.8 | 2795 |
| 2 | 🇺🇿GMVokhidov, Shamsiddin | 2639 | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 6.0 | 23.25 | 39.0 | +1.8 | 2647 |
| 4 | 🇭🇺GMGledura, Benjamin | 2653 | ½ | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 5.0 | 21.50 | 40.0 | -9.7 | 2564 |
| 3 | 🇲🇽GMMartinez Alcantara, Jose Eduardo | 2656 | ½ | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5.0 | 20.25 | 40.0 | -10.1 | 2563 |
| 5 | 🇷🇸GMSarana, Alexey | 2683 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 4.5 | 17.75 | 40.5 | -18.3 | 2517 |
| 6 | 🇰🇿FMKuandykuly, Danis | 2386 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | * | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 4.0 | 16.25 | 41.0 | +26.2 | 2507 |
| 7 | 🇰🇿IMSapenov, Daniyal | 2465 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 4.0 | 15.00 | 41.0 | +3.7 | 2499 |
| 8 | 🇰🇿IMNurgaliyev, Sauat | 2423 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | * | 0 | ½ | 3.5 | 16.00 | 41.5 | +4.0 | 2466 |
| 9 | 🇰🇿IMKamalidenova, Meruert | 2386 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | * | ½ | 3.0 | 12.25 | 42.0 | +3.1 | 2425 |
| 10 | 🇰🇿IMSuleimen, Ergali | 2408 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | 2.5 | 10.00 | 42.5 | -4.4 | 2382 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Kuandykuly, DanisFMKAZ+26.24.0 pts · #6
- 2Pranav, VGMIND+16.87.5 pts · #1
- 3Nurgaliyev, SauatIMKAZ+4.03.5 pts · #8
- 1Sarana, AlexeyGMSRB-18.34.5 pts · #5
- 2Martinez Alcantara, Jose EduardoGMMEX-10.15.0 pts · #3
- 3Gledura, BenjaminGMHUN-9.75.0 pts · #4
- R8+297 Elo gap