2025 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge

The inaugural edition of the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge was held in 2019 in Almaty.^[1] The competition is named in honor of Denis Ten, a former figure skater who competed internationally for Kazakhstan.^[2] He was the 2014 Winter Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World Championship medalist, the 2015 Four Continents champion, and an eight-time Kazakh national champion.^[3] Ten was murdered on 19 July 2018 in Almaty by carjackers.^[4] The 2025 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge took place from 1 to 4 October at the Halyk Arena in Almaty.^[5]

The ISU Challenger Series was introduced in 2014. It is a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The objective was to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points.^[6] The 2025–26 Challenger Series consisted of eleven events, of which the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge was the seventh.^[7]

The International Skating Union published the preliminary list of entrants on 27 September 2025.^[8]

Men and women competing in single skating first performed their short programs on Thursday, 2 October.^[5] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[12] the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[13]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[13]

Women performed their free skates on Friday, 3 October, while men performed theirs on Saturday, 4 October.^[5] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,^[12] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.^[14]

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 3 October.^[5] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,^[12] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s".^[15] Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge. The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.^[15]

Couples then performed their free dances on Saturday, 4 October.^[5] The free dance could last no longer than 4 minutes,^[12] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.^[15]

All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base value and then scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from –5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.^[16] Every Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to 5 was assigned a value (a percentage of the element's base value) as shown on the Scale of Values.^[17] For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of 3 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of 3 earned 10.40 points.^[18] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.^[17] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.^[19] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.^[20]

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.^[22] The total elements score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.^[23]