Azerbaijan's young chess players have returned home after winning three medals at the European Youth Chess Championship for players aged 8 to 18, held in Hersonissos on the Greek island of Crete.
As reported by İdman.Biz, a welcoming ceremony was held at Heydar Aliyev International Airport for the national team, which secured one gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the continental competition.
Azerbaijan shared third to fifth places in the overall medal standings among 42 participating countries.
Representatives of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, the athletes' parents and members of the media gathered at the airport to welcome the medal winners.
The standout performer was Narmin Abdinova, who delivered an exceptional performance in the girls' under-18 category.
Abdinova completed the tournament with a perfect score of nine points from nine games, defeating FIDE representative Lizaveta Liashkevich in the final round to secure the European title.
Her flawless campaign was one of the most impressive individual achievements of the championship, demonstrating remarkable consistency throughout the nine-round competition.
In the boys' under-18 category, Tunar Davudov claimed the silver medal after defeating Poland's Pawel Sowinski in the final round. The victory took his total to seven points and secured him second place.
Meanwhile, Selin Mammadova earned bronze in the girls' under-8 competition. She defeated Türkiye's Eliz Karahan in her final game to finish third and add another medal to Azerbaijan's tally.
The three-medal performance highlighted the strength of Azerbaijan's emerging generation of chess players and the country's continued success in developing young talent.
