8-year-old chess player from Almaty wins world championship
The 8-year-old Aisha is from Almaty. She has been training to become professional chess player since she was 6. Aisha attends the International Professional Chess Academy headquartered in Almaty. She is trained by Shakei and Kausar Baurzhan.
"We are excited. I've been training Aisha for a year. Now my father is her official trainer. At first she was afraid of tournaments, but now she is confident in her own powers. We were convinced she will become the world champion. She is very talented and there are a lot of goals we want to achieve," Kausar Baurzhan said.
According to Galimzhan Yessenov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Aisha's victory is another proof that hard work pays off and nothing is impossible. 
"Aisha's first serious tournament was in South Korea. Unfortunately, her lack of experience played role. But right after that she won the world title in Batumi. We don't force her to play chess. It her own choice," Aisha's father Tleubek Zakirov said.
728 young chess players from 66 countries of the world took part in the World Cadets U8, U10 U12 Championships in Batumi. Kazakhstani Meruert Kamalidenova (U12) and Ansat Aldiyar (U8) ranked 5th and 6th in their age groups respectively.
