Four Emiratis, 9 others lead in Maktoum Bin Hamdan Cup International Junior Chess Tournament
Candidate Masters Sultan Al Zaabi and Omran Al Hosani continue to show fine form in 110-player Dubai Juniors Chess Tournament
Top 14 standings after round 3
1 Rahul Srivatshav P IND 2273 3
2 FM Mohammad Fahad Rahman BAN 2157 3
3 CM Ahmadzada Ahmad AZE 2099 3
4 Hakobyan Eduard ARM 1753 3
5 Kocharyan Hayk ARM 1573 3
6 FM Matviishen Viktor UKR 2390 3
7 Aryan Ranjan IND 1836 3
8 CM Al-Zaabi Sultan UAE 1674 3
9 Viswanath Raghu Rohan IND 1155 3
10 Al Hosani Saeed UAE 1550 3
11 Al Darmaky Sultan UAE 1500 3
12 Umbetov Kazybek KAZ 2002 3
13 CM Al Hosani Omran UAE 1821 3
Four Emiratis joined nine other players from six countries in the lead after Thursday’s second and third rounds of the 14th Dubai Juniors Chess Tournament – Sheikh Maktoum Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.
Youthful Candidate Masters (CM) Sultan Al Zaabi and Omran Al Hosani continued their impressive run as they were joined by fellow UAE players Saeed Al Hosani and Al Darmaky Sultan with three points. Omran Al Hosani defeated Al Darmaky Saif, Al Zaabi won over Fatima Al Wahabi, Saeed Al Hosani won over India’s Sivadurga Adduri and Al Damarky defeated Aakarsh Gupta of India in the third round.
CM Sultan Al-Zaabi
Also posting three points each were top-seed Fide Master (FM) Viktor Matviishen of Ukraine, who won over India’s Mohammed Fawwaaz in the third round, Indian second-seed Rahul Srivatshav P, who defeated compatriot Singh Gurmeher, and Bangladeshi third-seed FM Mohammad Fahad Rahman, winner over India’s Sidharth Balaji Sridharan.
Others with perfect slates going into Friday’s 5:30pm fifth round are fourth-seed CM Ahmad Ahmadzada of Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Eduard Hakobyan and Hayk Kocharyan, India’s Ranjan Aryan and Viswanath Rohan Raghu and Kazakhstan’s Kazybek Umbetov.
A total of 110 players from 12 countries are taking part in the nine-round Swiss system tournament, which offers a total prize fund of US$ 10,000, with US$ 2,000 and the Sheikh Maktoum Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup going to the champion. The top 10 winners of the tournament will receive cash prizes, along with the best Emirati and Dubai Chess Club players.
The tournament allocates a thinking time of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment for each move. Games are also transmitted live at the club’s website (www.dubaichess.ae) and major international chess sites.
Mission Dubai Chess leave to Czech
Meanwhile, a delegation from Dubai Chess and Culture Club left Thursday morning for the Czech Republic to take part in the Czech Open in Pardubice, which serves as a preparation for some of the club’s top players who will be competing in various international competitions. The delegation, headed by the club’s Technical Chairman Najib Mohammed Saleh along with administrative staff Ibtisam Mohiuddin and coach Grandmaster (GM) Elmar Magerramov, consisted of Abdullah Ali Haji, Ahmed Mohamed Farid, Ali Abdulaziz Alfahima, Hamad Ahmed Al Kaabi, Salim Ahmed Al Kaabi, Aisha Jihad, Woman International Master (WIM) Amna Nouman, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Bashaer Khalil and Shaima Numan.
WCM Bashaer Khalil
The Czech Open will also serve as a tune-up event for Nouman, Khalil and Jihad, who will be representing the UAE in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in September in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Saleh said the participation in the Czech Open is part of the club’s program to provide maximum international tournament exposure to its youth players. He thanked the club’s board of directors for the support and commitment to nurturing the potential of the young players, in line with the strategic directives of the Dubai Sports Council.