Ulaanbaatar,
April 13, 2026 /MONTSAME/. The Mongolian national team won a bronze medal at the 8th SCO International Team Chess Tournament 2026 held on April 7-11 in Shanghai,
China.
This
tournament, now in its eighth edition, is notable for featuring top-level
players from countries such as Russia, China and Kazakhstan. A total of 13
teams from 12 countries participated by invitation, competition in two groups (A
and B) under the rapid format (15 minutes per side with a 10-second increment
per move).
The
Mongolian team included Grand Master Bilguun S., State Honored Athlete and
Grand Master Munguntuul B., and FIDE Master Baasansuren E. They competed in
Group B against teams from China (Team I), Kazakhstan, Egypt, Tajikistan and
Sri Lanka respectively. After outperforming strong teams such as Kazakhstan and
Egypt, they advanced to the semifinals.
In
the semifinals, the Mongolian team faced the Russian team that had topped Group
A, and was defeated. In the bronze medal matches against Belarus, Mongolia won
the first match 2:1 but lost the second 1:2. With the aggregate score tied, the
winner was decided by blitz games. The first blitz round ended in a 1.5:1.5
draw, but Mongolia secured victory in the decisive final round with a 2:1 score,
earning the bronze medal.
