Bronze medalists of the World Championships receive free education at the Kazakh National University of Sports

Chess players from the Kazakh National University of Sports, who won a bronze medal at the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship-2026, have been awarded the founder's Merit grant and will continue their studies free of charge.

Today, the founder's Merit grant was ceremonially presented to Kazybek Nogerbek, Meruert Kamalidenova, and Alisher Mazhkenov, who achieved excellent results in the international competition featuring 16 of the world's strongest universities. This initiative is aimed at supporting students who have achieved high results in the international arena. This grant is awarded to talented students who excel in both sports and academics.

"It is important for us that a student's sporting achievements and quality education go hand in hand. Supporting athletes who defend the honor of the university and the country in world-class competitions is one of our main tasks. We provide talented youth with opportunities not only for their current achievements but also for their future professional development," said Tursynzada Kuangalieva, Rector of the Kazakh National University of Sports.

The study grant is being awarded following the athletes' historic result at the World Championship. It is worth noting that at the first FIDE World University Team Chess Championship-2026 held in Almaty, the KNUS team competed alongside the world's leading universities and won the bronze medal. The team included experienced chess players who have been achieving high results in the international arena: Kazybek Nogerbek, Satbek Akhmedinov, Arystan Isanzhulov, Meruert Kamalidenova, and Alisher Mazhkenov. The team's head coach is Yerzhan Shakenov, an Honored Coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

For Kazybek Nogerbek, receiving this victory and the grant simultaneously is a concrete example of combining a sports career with education.

"For us, every game in the championship was very important. We played against the world's strongest universities and tested our level. The bronze medal is the result of the team's collective effort. And the university's support gives us great motivation to prepare for upcoming competitions," said Kazybek Nogerbek.

This achievement is an important milestone not only for the university but also for university chess in Kazakhstan. Finishing in the top three at the first global university team championship, where the world's leading higher education institutions gathered, once again demonstrated the high potential of domestic chess. The higher education system in Kazakhstan is making a significant contribution to the development of chess and the training of professional specialists in this field. The Kazakh National University of Sports is one of the key educational centers in this direction. Within the framework of the chess and togyzkumalak development program, the university is the first and only higher education institution in Kazakhstan that trains teacher-coaches in chess and togyzkumalak.

For information (about the players and the tournament progress)

Members of the KNUS national team:

Yerzhan Shakenov - team captain and coach, Honored Coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Honorary Professor of the Kazakh National University of Sports.

Kazybek Nogerbek - Grandmaster, World Champion among juniors under 20, 2025 Men's Champion of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Four-time absolute champion of Kazakhstan in the under 10, 16, 18, and 20 categories. Silver medalist of the World Youth Classical Chess Championship under 18. Participated in the Chess Olympiad twice as part of the Kazakhstan national team.

Satbek Akhmedinov - International Master (IM), Sports Master of the Republic of Kazakhstan, multiple-time champion of Kazakhstan in various age categories in classical chess, rapid, and blitz. In 2024, he became the Asian Blitz Champion under 18 and won a silver medal in classical chess. That same year, at the Western Asian Championship under 20 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, he became the blitz champion and won silver medals in classical chess and rapid. In 2025, he took second place at the Men's Asian Zonal Championship and participated in the World Cup held in Goa, India.

Arystan Isanzhulov - International Master (IM). In 2023, he became the Asian Blitz Champion and Kazakhstan Champion among men. That same year, he won the bronze medal at the World Blitz Championship among juniors under 20. In 2018, he became the World School Champion among students under 15. Since 2025, he has been studying in the educational program for training teacher-coaches in board sports at KNUS.

Meruert Kamalidenova - Woman International Master (WIM), 2019 World Youth Champion, 2021 Women's Champion of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2021, she took 31st place at the FIDE Grand Swiss Women's Tournament in Riga. As part of the Kazakhstan national team, she reached the quarterfinals of the World Team Championship and won a bronze medal on the third board in the individual standings.

Alisher Mazhkenov - 2024 Kazakhstan Champion as part of the Astana team, Men's Champion of Astana in classical chess. Bronze medalist of the 2023 Kazakhstan Classical Chess Championship among juniors and winner of the 2022 "Winter Cup" republican tournament.

The KNUS team successfully passed the domestic qualifying stage and earned the right to participate in the final stage of the competition. In the group stage, 16 teams were divided into four groups. KNUS played six matches, achieving five wins and one draw. This result allowed the university team to confidently qualify for the playoff stage.

In the quarterfinals, the KNUS team met a team from one of the Greek universities. While the first match ended in a 2:2 draw, the Kazakh chess players won the return match convincingly with a score of 3:1. Based on the results of the two matches, KNUS qualified for the semifinals.

In the semifinals, the university team's opponent was the "Ural" team. The first match ended in a 2:2 draw. In the second match, the opponent won 3:1 and advanced to the final. KNUS continued to fight for the bronze medal.

The match for third place became one of the most intense and dramatic meetings in the tournament. In the first match, KNUS lost 1.5:2.5. However, in the second match, the team leveled the score and won 2.5:1.5.

One of the decisive moments in the second match was the game on the first board, where Grandmaster Kazybek Nogerbek performed. At the most critical moment, the chess player showed composure and high skill, maintaining a complex position and achieving an important draw. Thus, the total score of the two matches was tied, and the fate of the bronze medal was to be decided in an additional blitz series — a tie-break.

After three games of the blitz tie-break, the score was tied again at 2:2. At this moment, the decisive stage that would determine the fate of the match began — "Armageddon." In this stage, the result of the entire meeting depended on a single game.

Who would get the decisive opportunity was determined by a draw. The team captain drew number 1. This meant that the winner of the match would be determined by the game of the players on the first board. At such a highly responsible moment, the player the team trusted, Kazybek Nogerbek, sat down at the chessboard. The Grandmaster calmly overcame the enormous psychological pressure and showed true champion character. He outperformed his opponent in the decisive game and achieved victory. Thus, the KNUS students once again proved their high skill, psychological stability, and true team spirit in the additional stage, outperforming their opponent. As a result, the national team of the Kazakh National University of Sports became the bronze medalist of the first international FIDE World University Team Chess Championship-2026 tournament.