Bright chess future for Olga Mikhailina after stellar play at 2026 Candidates Tournament

By Andrey Avsitidiysky

The Candidates Tournament, held at the Cap St Georges Hotel from March 28-April 16, 2026 sparked a huge surge of interest in chess in Cyprus. For 20 days in the tournament’s fan zone, dozens of children and teenagers chatted with the stars, attended lectures and took part in masterclasses. World chess legend Boris Gelfand gave a simultaneous exhibition on 20 boards. Only 17-year-old Olga Mikhailina managed to beat a participant in the 2012 World Championship match.

Olga is a student of International Master Artem Sadovskii, winner of the 2026 Cyprus Chess Open and head of the Freedom24 Chess Academy. Another of Sadovskii’s students — 16-year-old Viktoria Sokolova, the 2023 Cyprus champion — drew with Boris Gelfand.

According to Sadovskii, Gelfand held the advantage for most of the game against Mikhailina. The grandmaster admitted he had underestimated his young opponent’s counterplay on the queenside when he sacrificed two pieces for a mating attack, which failed due to a miscalculation in the variation and Olga’s solid defence.

“The main objective for the game was to create a complex position with tactical possibilities, so that it would be difficult to calculate all the variations in a rapid format. The opening turned out to be aggressive; we played the Sicilian Defence, in which Black opened up their king on move 10, creating a doubled pawn,” said Sadovskii.

“The key moment came on move 24. White had a choice between 24. ba, destroying a potential passed pawn, and 24. c3, forcing a material gain. Gelfand chose to capture the knight, after which the position became very complicated. Having repelled the attack on her king, Olga was left with a passed pawn, which secured her victory.”

After the simultaneous exhibition had ended, Boris Gelfand signed autographs and congratulated the participants. Boris Abramovich praised Olga Mikhailina’s performance, for which she received special prizes from FIDE. The grandmaster wished the young woman every success, emphasising that she had demonstrated a good understanding of chess.

“This is the greatest victory of my life. I’m grateful to my parents and my coach. Without them, it certainly wouldn’t have happened. I have great respect for Boris Gelfand as a chess player and a person; he has done so much for chess and written wonderful books. Many thanks to FIDE and the Freedom24 Chess Academy. Naturally, I’m feeling very positive. All the hard work has paid off — that’s the most important thing! I’ll remember 2026 for the rest of my life,” said Olga.

On April 12, 2026, she was appointed ambassador for the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) and conducted a short interview with Bibisara Assaubayeva, who finished second in the Candidates Tournament. Bibisara advised the children to enjoy the game and not to get discouraged after defeats.

Since the start of 2026, Olga Mikhailina has raised her rating by 366 points. In the FIDE rating list, which will be updated on May 1, 2026, Olga will reach 2102, which means she will be awarded the title of WFM (Woman FIDE Master). Looking ahead, her immediate plans include going to university, competing in tournaments and reaching new heights in the rankings.

• The Candidates Tournament, with a prize fund of €1 million, was organised with financial support from Freedom Holding Corp. and the Sheinberg family.
• The winners of the competition were 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan and 24-year-old Rameshbabu Vaishali from India.