Dubai: The UAE junior chess team has returned with two gold medals, one bronze and a silver from the Arab Junior Chess Championship held in Damascus, Syria.
The promising juniors hailing from the different emirates performed brilliantly in the Under-eight, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 age categories.
Nine-year-old Moza Al Mansouri of Al Ain Club emerged as the Arab Junior Chess Champion in the Under-10 category winning all of her nine games. She became the only player to achieve a 100 per cent score. Amnah Salem Nuaam of the Dubai Chess Club won the Under-12 title for another gold medal while Wadema Al Kalbani of the Al Ain Club won the bronze medal in the Under-10 category with seven points.
Speaking to Gulf News, Moza said: "I dedicate this victory to my country. I won mainly due to the excellent preparations, ideal playing conditions and support from my team members".
The UAE also won the silver medal for overall standing, finishing second to Syria in the Arab Junior Championship. The UAE was represented by only 13 players while 29 players from hosts Syria competed.
Talking about the performance of the UAE team, Hesham Al Taher, the head of the delegation said: "We performed brilliantly in this tournament because of the effort put in by our coaches to prepare the players. It is creditable that Al Ain Club won two out of the four gold medals."
Moza and Wadema are from Al Ain Chess Club.
"Al Ain has coaches like Mershad Sharif from France and Arousy Abdul Hamed from Syria and also a coach for women from Syria," said Al Taher, the General Secretary of the UAE Chess Federation and technical manager of the Al Ain Chess Club.
Sulaiman Al Fahim, the President of the UAE Chess Federation, announced an award of Dh100,000 for the winning squad.
"Our efforts to promote the game are leading to success. We will ensure more exposure to our youngsters. Our most promising youngster Salem A.R. Saleh will be sent to participate in a string of international events like the Biel Open in Switzerland and Asian Youth Championship in New Delhi and Abu Dhabi Open," said Al Fahim.
