| Zhansaya Abdumalik | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Abdumalik in 2019 | |
| Full name | Жансая Даниярқызы Әбдімәлік |
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Born | 12 January 2000 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Title | Grandmaster (2021) |
| FIDE rating | 2468 (November 2024) |
| Peak rating | 2507 (October 2021) |
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.[1]
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.