Hundreds of UAE children in training as chess club aims to produce next grandmasters

Founded in 1979, the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games has been promoting the sport in schools and the broader community

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Tue 20 Aug 2024, 7:01 PM

Last updated: Tue 20 Aug 2024, 8:44 PM

A chess club in Abu Dhabi is nurturing young talent with a goal to hone the UAE's next grandmasters.

Founded in 1979, the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games has been promoting the sport in schools and the broader community.

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“We have attracted more than 600 players from various nationalities to the club,” Hussein Abdullah Al Khouri, chairman of the club, told Khaleej Times during the 30th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival.

The club is looking to develop a new generation of chess players, he said.

“Currently, grandmaster Salem Abdulrahman Mohamed Saleh is the UAE’s No. 1 player,” he said, referring to Saleh, a UAE national and a Sharjah Cultural Chess Club player.

"We aim to have two to three grandmasters by the time we host the Chess Olympiad in Abu Dhabi in 2028."

Al Khouri said the Abu Dhabi club’s coaches are training hundreds of children, leading to a significant increase in Emirati players and multiple tournament victories.

“Things have been improving. It’s an easy game for parents to access and it is affordable. You can even play on your smartphone. It’s time for the new generation.”

Major chess festival

Over the years, the club has undertaken various initiatives to tap into young talent. In 1991, it established the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival to provide a competitive platform for young players.

The festival quickly gained international acclaim, and by 1996, it included an international masters’ tournament. Currently, it stands among Asia’s and the Middle East’s premier chess tournaments with a record participation of more than 2,200 players from 82 countries competing in more than 27 tournaments for a prize pool of Dh450,000 in this edition. The 27 tournament categories include international masters, open, junior, blitz, events for people of determination, families, ladies, seniors, academies, communities, government departments, and educational institutions. Several Emirati players are in the fray across different categories.

About 100 schools are in the fray at this edition, and for the first time, an online tournament has been introduced as well.

Hussein Abdullah Al Khouri

Al Khouri emphasised the continuous support from UAE leadership and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, which has helped place the festival on the global chess map.

“Today, the Abu Dhabi chess festival is one of the milestones across the FIDE (International Chess Federation) calendar. This edition has attracted many international players,” he said as 60 grandmasters vie for supremacy at the festival, which concludes on Sunday.

This week, Abu Dhabi will also host the FIDE centenary celebrations, with federation president Arkady Dvorkovich in attendance.

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