The Peninsula
Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co. (AAB), the distributor of Toyota and Lexus in Qatar, hosted the 6th Edition of its Open Chess FIDE-Rated Tournament, in collaboration with Qatar Chess Association (QCA) at the Al Abdulghani Tower, recently.
The much-awaited event resumed after being conducted online and through a hybrid platform for the last few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 66 participants ranging from age 6 and above, battled for the championship and special prizes.
The tournament was played in a 9-Round Swiss System format of standard chess over 2 consecutive weekends.
The tournament results are linked for individual rating purposes with the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
Badr Mahmoud of Egypt clinched the Championship title while Ryan Mendoza of the Philippines secured the second position. India’s Mohamed Sadiq Chantana finished third.
The “Best Qatari Male” award was given to Erfan Mohammad Firdaus while the “Best Qatari Female” award was won by Salama Al Khelaifi. Khaled Aljamaat clinched the “Best Qatari Youngster” title.
AAB Vice-President Abdulghani Nasser, QCA President Mohamed Al Mudahka, and QCA Executive Director Hamad Al Tamim were present at the prize distribution ceremony.
Al Madahka praised the levels seen in the tournament.
“The Abdullah Abdul-Ghani and Brothers Championship has become one of the most prominent tournaments and we are happy to partner and cooperate with Abdullah Abdul-Ghani and Brothers Company. We hope that the classification tournaments will continue,” he said.
Since its inception in 2018, the tournament has changed the chess landscape by bringing the FIDE Rated Tournaments to Qatar. It has also created a meaningful impact on the lives of young chess enthusiasts as well as adult players who are given the opportunity to achieve world ratings.