The Asian Individual Amateur Rapid Chess Championship for men and women was concluded, which was held under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and hosted by Danat Al Ain Hotel and Resort. The tournament, which lasted over a marathon day lasting 8 consecutive hours, witnessed a record participation of 600 players, both male and female, representing 33 countries, in a scene that reflects the strength and spread of the sport of chess on the Asian continent.
The closing ceremony and crowning of the winners was attended by Mr. Hisham Ali Al-Taher, Secretary General of the Asian Chess Federation, who praised the organization and high technical level of the participants.
In the men’s tournament, player Igor Lovakov from Russia was crowned first place after a strong and impressive performance, while Emirati Ahmed Al Rumaithi came in runner-up after intense competition that continued until the final rounds. Third place went to Mujahid bin Yazid from the Maldives, who achieved an unprecedented achievement for his country.
In the women’s tournament, Uzbekistan’s Shahnuza Sabrova topped the rankings by a clear margin, while Emirati Ahlam Rashid came in second place after a strong competition with elite players. Tajikwoman Nadia Antonova took third place, after resorting to tie-breaking systems to decide the positions.
For his part, Hisham Ali Al-Taher expressed in his statements after the coronation ceremony his pride in the honorable results achieved by the UAE players in the tournament, stressing that winning two Asian silver medals is a major achievement and reflects the continuous development in the players’ performance at the continental level.
Al-Taher pointed out that the UAE was one step away from achieving the gold medal in the men’s competition, as the Emirati player topped the standings during the first six rounds before faltering in the final round, hoping to make up for this in the upcoming Classic and Rapid tournaments.
Al-Tahir also expressed his happiness with the arrival of teams such as the Maldives and Tajikistan to the podium, considering this a positive development that reflects the spread of the game in less traditional regions, which enhances the status of chess at the continental level.
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