Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Chess Association (QCA) organized Hyatt Plaza Open Blitz and Speed Chess Championship concluded at the Hyatt Plaza Mall with the participation of about 120 male and female players.
The nine-round blitz chess, according to the Swiss system, witnessed Indian player Abel Sagan win the event while his compatriot Sayed Abdelkader was second and Algerian Ferhi third.
In the same tournament, Khaled Al Khulaifi and Layan Al Qasabi won the Best Qatari Player Award, while Khaled Al Jamaat won the Best Qatari Under-20 Player Award.
The under-16 category, held in a 7-round rapid chess system, saw participation of 100 players with Indian player Sayed Abdul Qadir emerging as the winner. Turkish Karim Demirkul was second followed by the Indian Ayyappan Balan Anadhan in third place and Indian Abel Sagan in fourth.
In terms of the best awards, Khaled Al Jamaat and Rawda Al Qasabi won the Best Qatari Player Awards, Hamad Al Kuwari won the Best Under-14 Qatari Player Award, Asma Al Khelaifi won the Best Under-12 Qatari Player Award, and Abdulaziz Al Mahasneh won the Best Qatari Player Award under 8 years.
Yousef Al Mutawa, Secretary-General of Qatar Chess Association, confirmed that organizing this tournament with cooperation of Hyatt Plaza Mall continues with the aim of spreading chess culture in the society.
He stressed that the tournament witnessed great competition and also received great follow-up and that QCA seeks to develop the culture of chess by holding it in commercial complexes on a regular basis.
Al Mutawa also praised the technical levels witnessed in the tournament and the good participation of the Qatari national team players as the federation looks forward to providing them with the necessary experience in preparation for their upcoming competitions.
