Egypt’s IM Abdalrahman Sameh Mohamed has won all six of his games in the Under-13 Open at the 2026 World U7-U17 Championships in Roquetas de Mar, Spain. After the rest day he faces Kazakhstan’s IM Danis Kuandykuly, the section’s rating favourite, who has dropped only one draw.
Sameh comes in with a strong recent record: he won the Under-12 category of the 2025 FIDE World Cup. Each of the twelve sections is its own 11-round Swiss, so six rounds are played and five remain in every one. This is the event whose new fast classical time control we covered at the start.
Here is where each section stands.
Under 7
In the Under-7 Open, Poland’s Ignacy Mongay Miland is 6/6, a full point ahead of Egypt’s Mohab Ahmed Assem, and the two meet in round seven. Seven players are on 4.5/6.
In the Under-7 Girls, Mongolia’s Margad Bayasgalan, Kazakhstan’s Leila Aldazharova and Canada’s Echo Heming Fang share the lead on 5/6. Aldazharova has drawn twice, which FIDE notes is rare in a section where decisive games are the norm.
Under 9
In the Under-9 Open, Latvia’s Akims Jefimovs and Uzbekistan’s Sayfuddin Erkinboev are on 5.5/6, with Jefimovs ahead on tiebreak. Estonia’s Lev Jevglevski is on 5/6.
In the Under-9 Girls, Kazakhstan’s Amaliya Yedresheva leads on 5.5/6, half a point ahead of New Zealand’s Vera Jintian Xu. Top seed Stella Zhu of Finland is among three players on 4.5/6.
FIDE’s mate of the day came from this section in round three: Varvara Volkova, with Black against Symbat Otargali, played 28…Rf1+! and after 29.Rxf1 Qxf1+ 30.Qxf1 Rxf1# it was mate.
Under 11
In the Under-11 Open, Uzbekistan’s Akbar Mustafakulov, the 2026 Asian champion, leads on 5.5/6, half a point ahead of five players. Top seed CM Amirzhan Anetov of Kazakhstan is among them.
In the Under-11 Girls, Kazakhstan’s WCM Milana Filippova is 6/6, a full point ahead of Georgia’s Sara Saltkhutsishvili, whom she has already beaten. Filippova won the Under-10 Asian Championship in 2025.
Under 13
Besides Sameh and Kuandykuly in the Open, the Under-13 Girls is led by Germany’s WCM Lilian Schirmbeck on 5/6, with four wins and two draws. Six players are half a point behind her.
Under 15
In the Under-15 Open, Kazakhstan’s FM Aldiyar Zharas leads on 5.5/6, with five titled players half a point back, among them Spain’s FM Martin Krauchi Romero.
In the Under-15 Girls, Kazakhstan’s WFM Aiaru Altynbek, Vietnam’s Vu Nguyen Bao Linh and Mongolia’s WCM Batkhishigt Enkhnamuun share the lead on 5/6.
Under 17
In the Under-17 Open, Lithuania’s FM Zanas Nainys is 6/6, a full point clear of four players, three of them from Spain.
In the Under-17 Girls, Georgia’s WIM Kesaria Mgeladze, the second seed, is 6/6. Her next opponent is Vietnam’s WFM Dang Le Xuan Hien, alone in second on 5/6.
Round seven is on Sunday, October 18.
Original source: FIDE
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