Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has announced on social media that he won a ‘friendly chess match’ against his eldest son, Akhmat Kadyrov, who serves as Chechnya’s Sports Minister.
According to Kadyrov, the match was played without a time limit and ended in his victory.
‘The opening was quite sharp, with an active exchange of pieces, even though we played without time control. And, of course, I won,’ Kadyrov wrote on VKontakte, adding that they were not preparing for a rematch.
A photo of the ‘friendly match’ was published amid renewed speculation about the Chechen leader’s health. Last week, several Turkish media outlets reported that Kadyrov nearly drowned while vacationing in Bodrum. According to journalists, he ‘suddenly began losing consciousness and slipped underwater’ shortly after entering the sea. He was reportedly taken to hospital by ambulance. Turkish reports said his condition had stabilised.
In 2022, while still attending school at the age of 16, Akhmat Kadyrov became the head of all children and youth organisations in the republic as chair of the regional branch of the new Russian Movement of Children and Youth. The federal Education Ministry even supported the appointment, despite his young age.
The following year, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Physical Culture and Sports, and in 2024, he became the ministry’s head.
Upon gaining his most recent posting, Akhmat immediately formed his own ‘team’: as his deputies, he invited Umar Daudov — son of parliamentary speaker Magomed Daudov — and Akhmat-Hadzhi Delimkhanov — eldest son of Amkhad Delimkhanov, the youngest brother of Chechen Parliamentary member Adam Delimkhanov.
As minister, Akhmat is responsible for the development of sport and patriotic education among the youth, and he has been active in public, welcoming federal guests, meeting with students, overseeing projects of the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, and undertaking foreign trips — for instance, he visited Azerbaijan, Jordan, and the Gulf countries as a young representative of Chechnya.
Akhmat got married in 2023, at just 17 years old: the wedding ceremony was lavish, and on the eve of the event, he received a personal blessing from Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is unknown who he married.
A week ago, Akhmat Kadyrov stepped down as president of the Akhmat sports club. He was replaced by Yakub Zakriev, the mayor of Grozny and Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya.
Elizaveta Chukharova
