The 2023 Mongolian Championship saw the triumph of young players as 16-year-old Munkhdalai Amiral and 14-year-old Erdenebayar Khuslen sensationally won their maiden national titles.

Both competitions, the open and women’s tournaments, were 12-player round robins taking place simultaneously in Khovd, Mongolia, from May 20-30, 2023.

The 10th-rated FM Munkhdalai Amiral (pictured below left) made a splash in the open tournament scoring an impressive 8.5/11 and convincingly winning gold. Aged 16 years and five months, Munkhdalai became the youngest-ever Mongolian champion in the open section. Amiral is the only player in the competition to suffer no defeats.

Gombosuren Munkhgal (the only GM in the tournament) and IM Sugar Gan-Erdene finished a full point behind the champion, with the former taking silver as the winner of their direct encounter.  

Final standings open:

Somewhat surprisingly, the women’s competition turned into a very close race between untitled Erdenebayar Khuslen (pictured below left), WCM Khishigbaatar Bayasgalan and WCM  Batsaikhan Enkhsaran (rated 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively). All three players netted 7.5/11 and shared first place, but the title goes to 14-year-old Erdenebayar, who scored victories in both direct encounters.

Final standings women:

Photos: Mongolian Chess Federation Facebook