Update — 25 October 2026. The tournament has been played. We have added the final results published on the tournament platform: 380 players, five rounds, Ungheni municipality first among localities. The text below has been updated.
The “Șahul UNește” chess tournament was played on Sunday, 25 October, in Independence Square in the municipality of Ungheni. The tournament page lists 380 players, and the final standings, published after the fifth and last round, put Ungheni municipality first among localities.
The hosts scored 43 points in the “Punctaj TOP 10” ranking, which adds up the results of each locality’s ten best players. The village of Măgdăcești in Criuleni district also has 43 points and is listed second, followed by Chișinău (42.5), Căușeni (40) and Fălești (38.5). Ungheni municipality also fielded the largest team: 96 players.
| Place | Locality | Punctaj TOP 10 | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ungheni municipality | 43 | 96 |
| 2 | Măgdăcești (Criuleni district) | 43 | 17 |
| 3 | Chișinău | 42.5 | 33 |
| 4 | Căușeni | 40 | 14 |
| 5 | Fălești | 38.5 | 22 |
| 7 | Costuleni (Ungheni district) | 32 | 19 |
| 12 | Pîrlița (Ungheni district) | 25 | 13 |
Ungheni district, the most players
In the district ranking, Ungheni district is first, with 153 players, almost three times as many as Chișinău municipality (53), in second place. Among the district’s villages, Costuleni finished highest, seventh among localities, and Pîrlița twelfth. Teams from Unțești, Sculeni, Teșcureni and Chirileni also played.
In the second locality ranking, based on the average rating of each locality’s three highest-rated players, Ungheni municipality is second, behind Chișinău and ahead of Căușeni.
Prizes and future editions
Under the rules, the top five localities in the “Punctaj TOP 10” ranking receive cash prizes for team members and the right to host future editions of the tournament. The organisers set 9,600 lei for first place; the per-player amounts the platform now shows are marked as estimates.
Ungheni Municipal Hall wrote that “hundreds of chess amateurs from all over the Republic of Moldova” came to the tournament, as well as players from Romania, including Reghin, Ungheni’s twin town. According to the municipal hall, the tournament was organised by the National Chess Academy of Moldova in partnership with the Ungheni District Council and Ungheni Municipal Hall. On the registration platform, the organising club is listed as “Club Raionul Ungheni”.
The tournament was played under the Swiss system, in which players with similar scores meet each other, and the results count towards the players’ official ratings. The organisers’ initial announcement provided for six rounds; the tournament page shows five in the end. Entry was free.