Ural State Mining University wins inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship 2026

Before play began, the ceremonial first move was made by Tursynzada Kuangaliyeva, Rector of the Kazakh National University of Sports, officially opening the championship's final day.

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 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.”

KNUS wins bronze after a dramatic sudden-death finish

The battle for third place between KNUS and UT Dallas proved much more dramatic.UT Dallas took the early advantage in the first match, winning 2.5-1.5. KNUS struck back in the return encounter with a 2.5-1.5 victory of its own, making the overall score level and forcing the tiebreakers.

It’s very important for us because we are playing at home and a lot of fans are supporting us. Of course, we wanted to win gold, but this is sport. Now it’s about the bronze medal.”

Final standings:

1st – Ural State Mining University
2nd – Saint Louis University
3rd – KNUS
4th – The University of Texas at Dallas

Final

Match 1: Ural State Mining University 2.5-1.5 Saint Louis University
Match 2: Saint Louis University 1.5-2.5 Ural State Mining University

Third-place match

Match 1: KNUS 1.5-2.5 The University of Texas at Dallas
Match 2: The University of Texas at Dallas 1.5-2.5 KNUS

Overall after two matches: 4-4

Tiebreak: The University of Texas at Dallas 2-2 KNUS
Sudden death: GM Kazybek Nogerbek defeated GM Aditya Samant, and KNUS won third place.