Dubai: Dubai Chess and Culture Club will host the ‘biggest’ Arab Chess Championship from May 26 with several top-ranked players confirming participation.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ebrahim Al Banna, President of the Arab Chess Federation (ACF) said: “We will be hosting the popular Arab Elite Chess Championship. This is the third edition of this tournament and we have decided that Dubai Chess and Culture Club will host the event with cooperation from UAE Chess Federation from May 26 to June 4.”
The biennial event was conceived as a world class invitation-only event, featuring the highest-ranked players from each Arab country. “The players will compete for the International Federation (FIDE) President’s Cup. President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov himself is supporting this event which will be called the Arab Elite Chess Championship — Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Cup with cash prizes totalling $20,000 (Dh73,460) for the winners. The ACF will provide free accommodation to all the invited players,” added Al Banna.
Al Banna also revealed that Fide Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos will be the guest of honour and give away the prizes during the awarding ceremony on June 4.
“The tournament champion will receive a cash prize of $8,000. The tournament opening ceremony will be attended by representatives of Fide and the Dubai Sports Council. So far 16 of the 20 member countries of the ACF have confirmed to send their top players for the event.
Elaborating on the format, Yahya Mohammad Saleh, the manager of the Dubai Chess and Cultural Club said: “The tournament will follow the Swiss system format with a total of nine rounds. It will adopt the Fischer time control system, allotting 90 minutes, plus a 30-second increment for each move to complete a game. The matches can be seen live at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club, ACF and other leading websites and through smart phone applications.”
