The Most Famous
CHESS PLAYERS from Kazakhstan
This page contains a list of the greatest Kazakhstani Chess Players. The pantheon dataset contains 461 Chess Players, 2 of which were born in Kazakhstan. This makes Kazakhstan the birth place of the 37th most number of Chess Players behind Denmark, and Syria.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Kazakhstani Chess Players of all time. This list of famous Kazakhstani Chess Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Rashid Nezhmetdinov (1912 - 1974)
With an HPI of 51.80, Rashid Nezhmetdinov is the most famous Kazakhstani Chess Player. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages on wikipedia.
Rashid Gibyatovich Nezhmetdinov (Russian: Раши́д Гибя́тович Нежметди́нов, Tatar: Рәшит Һибәт улы Нәҗметдинов, Räşit Hibät ulı Näcmetdinov; IPA: [ræˈʃit næʑmetˈdinof]; December 15, 1912 – June 3, 1974) was a Soviet chess player, chess writer, and checkers player. Although he never attained the title of Grandmaster, he was a renowned tactician and created several brilliant games. Biographer Alex Pishkin compares him to Chigorin, Réti and Spielmann.
2. Boris Avrukh (b. 1978)
With an HPI of 27.82, Boris Avrukh is the 2nd most famous Kazakhstani Chess Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Boris Leonidovich Avrukh (Hebrew: בוריס ליאונידוביץ' אברוך; Russian: Борис Леонидович Аврух; born 10 February 1978 in Karaganda, Soviet Union) is an Israeli chess grandmaster. He was the World Under-12 champion in 1990.
3. Zhansaya Abdumalik (b. 2000)
With an HPI of 25.50, Zhansaya Abdumalik is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Chess Player. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakh: Жансая Даниярқызы Әбдімәлік/Jansaya Daniyarqyzy Äbdimalik; Russian: Жансая́ Дания́ровна Абдумали́к, romanized: Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik; born 12 January 2000) is a Kazakhstani chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (GM). She is the first Kazakhstani woman, and the 39th woman overall, to earn the GM title. Abdumalik has a peak FIDE rating of 2505 and has been ranked as high as No. 11 in the world among women. Abdumalik has been a two-time girls' World Youth Champion as well as a girls' World Junior Champion. She is also a two-time Kazakhstani women's national champion, and has represented Kazakhstan in women's events at the Chess Olympiad, World Team Chess Championship, and the Asian Nations Chess Cup. On April 20, 2022, Zhansaya became the President of the Almaty Chess Federation. Abdumalik began playing chess at age five. She emerged as a chess prodigy, first qualifying for the girls' World Youth Championships at age seven and winning gold medals at the under-8 level at age eight and the under-12 level at age eleven. She earned the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title at 14 years old in 2014 and the International Master (IM) title at 16 years old in 2016. Having previously earned silver and bronze medals at the under-20 girls' World Junior Championship, she won the gold medal in 2017. After achieving all of her norms for the GM title across 2017 and 2018, Abdumalik became a Grandmaster in 2021 by reaching the 2500 rating threshold in Gibraltar in the last leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2019–21. She also had a career-best performance rating of 2699 at the tournament. In her career, she has defeated several Grandmasters rated above 2600, including Yaroslav Zherebukh when he was rated 2642 to help earn her first GM norm.
4. Dinara Saduakassova (b. 1996)
With an HPI of 23.16, Dinara Saduakassova is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Chess Player. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Dinara Saduakassova (born 31 October 1996) is a Kazakh chess player who holds the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM).
5. Bibisara Assaubayeva (b. 2004)
With an HPI of 22.34, Bibisara Assaubayeva is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Chess Player. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakh: Бибісара Асаубаева, Bibısara Asaubaeva; born 26 February 2004) is a Kazakh chess player. Assaubayeva holds the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster. She is a two-time Women's World Blitz Chess Champion. She was given the award of Outstanding Female Chess Player of 2021 in Asia by FIDE. She entered the Guinness World Records book in 2022, for her achievement as the youngest women's World Blitz Chess Champion, which she became in 2021 and retained in 2022.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Kazakhstani chess players born between 1912 and 2004. Of these 5, 4 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Kazakhstani chess players include Boris Avrukh, Zhansaya Abdumalik, and Dinara Saduakassova. The most famous deceased Kazakhstani chess players include Rashid Nezhmetdinov. As of April 2024, 3 new Kazakhstani chess players have been added to Pantheon including Boris Avrukh, Dinara Saduakassova, and Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Living Kazakhstani Chess Players
Go to all Rankings
Boris Avrukh
1978 - Present
HPI: 27.82
Zhansaya Abdumalik
2000 - Present
HPI: 25.50
Dinara Saduakassova
1996 - Present
HPI: 23.16
Bibisara Assaubayeva
2004 - Present
HPI: 22.34
Deceased Kazakhstani Chess Players
Go to all RankingsNewly Added Kazakhstani Chess Players (2024)
Go to all RankingsBoris Avrukh
1978 - Present
HPI: 27.82
Dinara Saduakassova
1996 - Present
HPI: 23.16
Bibisara Assaubayeva
2004 - Present
HPI: 22.34
