Grebnev and Shukhman win 2024 Asian Junior Championship
GM Aleksey Grebnev and WIM Anna Shukhman (both FIDE) emerged as the winners of the 2024 Asian Junior Chess Championship in the open and girls sections, respectively. The competitions, 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control, took place from October 13-19, 2024, at the Knights Templar Hotel in Tagaytay City, Philippines. The championship, hosted by the Tagaytay Chess Club under the auspices of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, Asian Chess Federation and FIDE in cooperation with the City of Tagaytay, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, brought together 54 juniors from thirteen countries. The open section was dominated by the defending champion, top seed Aleksey Grebnev, who grabbed the lead in Round 3 and never looked back. Going into the final round, a full point ahead of IM Munkhdalai Amilal of Mongolia, he drew his game with Aswath S and clinched the title with an excellent score of 7.5/9. The champion became the only unbeaten participant in the event. Amilal finished on 7/9 and took silver, while Aswath S earned bronze. Final standings Open: 1 GM Grebnev, Aleksey FID 2530 7½ 2 IM Amilal, Munkhdalai MGL 2388 7 3 IM Aswath, S IND 2473 6½ 4 IM Rohith, Krishna S IND 2474 6 5 IM Uskov, Artem FID 2428 6 6 FM Akhilbay, Imangali KAZ 2282 6 7 IM Dau, Khuong Duy VIE 2422 6 8 FM Arca, Christian Gian Karlo PHI 2199 6 9 IM Concio, Michael Jr. PHI 2368 5½ 10 Kodithuwakku, K K Dinujaya SRI 1933 5½ The girl’s sections saw an even more commanding performance by the champion. Anna Shukhman took a great start, winning five straight games and, despite losing to Tejaswini G in Round 6, finished strong with another three victories to capture the title. Halder Sneha and Tejaswini G (both representing India) netted 7/9 and tied for second place, with the former claiming silver thanks to a superior Buchholz. Final standings Girls: 1 WIM Shukhman, Anna FID 2163 8 2 Sneha, Halder IND 2063 7 3 WIM Tejaswini, G IND 2207 7 4 Khairmode, Dhanashree IND 1876 5½ 5 WFM Popandopulo, Kristina KAZ 2069 5½ 6 ACM Mohd Afif, Ainul Mardhiah MAS 1867 5 7 WFM Bristy, Mukherjee IND 1965 5 8 WFM Rindhiya, V IND 2005 4½ 9 Luong, Hoang Tu Linh VIE 1907 4½ 10 WFM Gunawardhana, Devindya SRI 2069 4½ In addition to classical events, rapid and blitz tournaments in both sections were held in the 2024 Asian Junior Championship. The classical champions, Grebnev and Shukhman, confirmed their status, winning double crowns in the rapid tournaments. Artem Uskov (FIDE) triumphed in the Blitz Open, while Mukherjee Bristy (India) came out on top in the Blitz Girls. Final standings Rapid OpenFinal standings Rapid GirlsFinal standings Blitz OpenFinal standings Blitz Girls Photos: Asian Chess Federation