151 players in the UAE Individual Chess Championship

The Secretary-General of the UAE Chess Federation, Abdul Karim Al Marzouqi, opened the competitions of the UAE Individual Championship for the game under 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 years old, for males and females, which is hosted by the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club with the participation of 151 male and female players in all categories. The championship will continue until August 9. The opening of the championship and the competitions were attended by Sultan Al Taher, Head of the Technical Staff of the Federation, Omar Noman, Head of the Technical Staff of the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club, and Mohammed Abdullah, Technical Director of the Federation.

Sultan Al-Tahir, head of the technical staff of the Federation, confirmed that the championship is part of the Federation’s local agenda and is among the championships classified internationally by the International Federation of the game. In addition, it represents an opportunity for the coaches of the teams who were present at the championship to choose the best elements that will participate in the Arab Junior Championship in Tunisia during the period from October 26 to November 3.

The head of the authority added that this year’s UAE individual championship was divided into two categories, as the federation organised the men’s and women’s championship and the under-8 and under-10 championship for males and females last July, and the current championship represents the second category.

He explained that all local tournaments organised by the Federation always come before external events in order to provide an opportunity for the national team coaches and to prepare and interact with the players who will be chosen to represent the UAE in any tournament.

He pointed out that the number of players participating in the tournament is a good sign of the existence of a large base of talented players, especially since the numbers are increasing in the younger age groups under 12 and 14 years old. He thanked the clubs that work under the umbrella of the Federation, as they are the strategic partner and source of talent, and they always help the Federation in selecting players who represent the country in foreign forums, which is our goal.