The Arab Individual Championship for men and women, organized by the Arab Federation of the game, was launched, hosted by the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club, with the participation of more than 200 male and female players holding Arab and international titles from 18 countries competing in three tournaments: blitz, rapid, and classic chess.
The opening was attended by Sheikh Khalid bin Humaid Al Qasimi, President of the Arab Chess Federation, President of the Sharjah Chess Club, Taryam Matar Taryam, President of the Chess Federation, Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, Issa Ataya, CEO of Alef Real Estate Group – one of the sponsors of the tournament, and a number of… Members of the Arab Football Federation, and heads of delegations participating in the tournament.
The results of the first day of blitz chess competitions resulted in the Algerian Bilal Belhassan winning first place and the gold medal, after scoring 8 points out of 9 rounds, equal to the international grandmaster Salem Abdel Rahman, player of our national team and the Sharjah Chess Club, who came in runner-up, while Qatari Hussein Aziz came in second place. Third place, after scoring 7 points. The Palestinian Iman Sawan won first place and the gold medal in the women’s category, scoring 7.5 points from 9 rounds, while Rawda Al Serkal, our national team player, and the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mental Games Club came in second place, and the silver medal, scoring 6.5 points, and Anoud Issa, our national team player, won. The Sharjah Girls Chess and Culture Club won third place and a bronze medal, bringing the UAE to 3 medals on the first day of the tournament.
Issa Hilal Al-Hazami welcomed the Arab delegations participating in the Arab Individual Chess Championship for men and women, which is being hosted by the Sharjah Chess Club, stressing that this large Arab gathering has countless gains not only on the technical and organizational levels, but also on the gathering of players and delegations, which consolidates The bonds of love between Arab peoples through the window of sports.
He pointed out that the participation of more than 200 male and female players in the tournament is an affirmation of the UAE’s position in hosting sporting events, especially the Emirate of Sharjah, which has a long history in organizing such events and national cadres, and has accumulated experience in organizing tournaments.
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