In Almaty, the Round of 16 of the Senate Cup 2026 tournament — the city championship in rapid chess among cultural and arts professionals — was held.

In Almaty, the qualifying stage of the Round of 16 of the Senate Cup 2026 — the city rapid chess championship among cultural and arts professionals — has concluded. The competition became an important part of the Senat Open 2026 tournament series.

The main objective of the event was to promote chess as a unique tool for intellectual development, as well as to enhance athletic skills and strengthen professional ties among workers in the cultural and arts sectors.

The tournament brought together more than 60 participants, who competed over seven rounds of intense intellectual contest. As a result of the competition, the top 20 players earned the right to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the Senate Cup.

Particular pride comes from the success of representatives of the Almaty Libraries. One of the prize winners was Sanat Mukashev, a software engineer at the city libraries. Along with Adylzhan Sadykov, who also successfully passed the qualifying stage, he will represent the city’s library system in the next round among the strongest chess players from the city’s institutions.