Young chess players from Paphos won three first places at the Pancyprian Youth Championship

Young athletes of the Paphos Chess Club confirmed their dominance at the 2026 Pancyprian Youth Chess Championship, which took place in Nicosia from January 2 to 6. The Paphos team won three first places and two additional prize positions among dozens of participants from all over Cyprus.

The Pancyprian Youth Championship determined 12 champions of Cyprus in the age categories under 18, 16, 14, 12, 10 and 8. The tournament was held under the auspices of the Cyprus Chess Federation and the Ministry of Education.

According to the president of the Paphos Chess Club, Arkadios Koulaxidis, 16 club trainees took part in the competition and showed notable results. First places were taken by Orestis Neofitou in the under-8 category, Savvas Konstantinidis in the under-14 category, and Antonis Pikolos in the under-10 category as the best Cypriot winner.

In addition, Giorgos Kakouris placed second in the under-12 category, and Elena Osadha took second place among girls under 12, further adding to Paphos’ achievements.

The Cyprus Chess Federation also recognized winners from other cities: Olivia Nikolaidi (Limassol Chess Club) — under 8; Maria Korelidou (Caissa Chess Club) — under 10; Kyriakos Skouroupatis (Caissa Chess Club) and Aida Paunescu (Limassol Chess Club) — under 12; Katerina Georgiou (Caissa Chess Club) — under 14; Themistoklis Amvrosiadis (Limassol Chess Club) and Pinelopi Angelidou (Caissa Chess Club) — under 16; Master Rafail Antoniou (Caissa Chess Club) and Christina Buzana (Famagusta Chess Club) — under 18.

The Cyprus Chess Federation congratulated all champions and participants for their sporting spirit and fair play.