"VAN" (Sports Desk - 10.08.2026) :: Ural State Mining University has been crowned champion of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship Finals, defeating Saint Louis University in Sunday’s final in Almaty.
The final day of competition brought the championship down to its two decisive encounters: Ural State Mining University against Saint Louis University for the title and Kazakh National University of Sports against The University of Texas at Dallas for third place.
Before the start of play, the ceremonial first move was made by Tursynzada Kuangaliyeva, Rector of the Kazakh National University of Sports, officially opening the final day of the championship.
After five days of competition, only four of the original sixteen universities remained, with the championship title and the final place on the podium to be decided.
Garifullina leads Ural to championship victory
The opening match of the final between Ural State Mining University and Saint Louis University was closely contested across all four boards.
The top three games ended in draws, with GMs Arseniy Nesterov and Aryan Chopra, Rudik Makarian and Bharath Subramaniyam, and Sergei Lobanov and Nikolozi Kacharava all splitting the point.
The decisive result came on board four, where IM Leya Garifullina defeated WGM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro, giving Ural State Mining University a 2.5-1.5 victory and a narrow lead heading into the return match.
The second match followed almost exactly the same pattern. Once again, the encounters on the first three boards ended in draws, leaving the outcome to Garifullina and Cervantes Landeiro.
For the second time in the day, Garifullina won, delivering the decisive point and another 2.5-1.5 victory for Ural State Mining University.
With a 5-3 overall score, Ural secured the title and became the first champion of the FIDE World University Team Championship Finals.
Garifullina proved a decisive force in the final, scoring the only two victories across the eight individual games.
Reflecting on the title, GM Arseniy Nesterov said:
“It’s a great victory, especially considering our way through the tournament. We had some really challenging matches, particularly in the playoffs, so I’m very happy that we finally won. It’s always nice to win.”
Nesterov also highlighted the support offered by his university in helping him combine higher education with professional chess.
“It’s not easy to combine university with chess, but I’m very glad that the university supports us through its chess programme. If I want to go to a tournament, I’m always able to do that, and there are no problems with the professors or my studies.”
For Saint Louis University, the final brought an end to another strong run through the championship. Bharath Subramaniyam pointed to the team atmosphere as one of the highlights of the week:
“For me personally, the best thing is just being with my team. They are very supportive people, and it’s really fun to be around them. I’m glad to spend time with them.”
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