Dubai: Grandmaster (GM) Mohammad Al Sayed of Qatar remained unbeaten to win the 3rd Arab Elite Chess Championship. He received the Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Cup, named after the world chess body (FIDE) president who flew in to attend the prize giving at the Dubai Chess and Cultural Club.
Speaking to Gulf News after his spectacular show in the championship, Al Sayed said: “It makes me feel so happy to have won this championship as the field was very strong.
This is the first time I am participating in the Arab Elite Championship and to win it makes it very special, though I have won a variety of championships like the Arab Zone Championships and Asian Games.”
Al Sayed also revealed that his victory was the result of hard work. “I train between four to six hours every day and I feel this is the reward for my effort.”
He added: “I will next participate in the individual championship for men to be held in August in Al Ain and then, if lucky, I can qualify for the World Chess Championship.”
Al Sayed, in his last game against Algerian GM Mohammad Haddouche, came close to losing his first match in the championship. But Haddouche misplayed the endgame and allowed the Qatari to settle for a draw.
The prize presentation was attended by FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Borg.
Also present were Shaikh Saud Al Mualla, Chairman of the Sharjah Chess and Culture Club, Saeed Al Muqbali, Chairman of the UAE Chess Federation, Ebrahim Al Bannai, President of the Arab Chess Federation, Mohammad Al Ansari, Director of Strategic Management at Dubai Sports Council, and representatives of the different Arab countries were also present.
Al Sayed received the Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Cup and $8,000 (Dh29,379). The rest of the top five finishers received $5,000, $3,500, $2,000 and $1,500 respectively.
Al Sayed, who was seeded third, won the tournament with 7.5 points from six wins and three draws, half a point ahead of second-seed GM Salem AR Saleh of the UAE and top-seed GM Bassem Amin of Egypt.
Saleh ripped apart Jordanian International Master (IM) Sami Khader’s Dutch Defence to win his final game in 34 moves.
Amin had to work harder against Bahrain’s FM Husain Ayyad before winning in 49 moves.
Saleh, winner of the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2011, finished second by virtue of a superior tiebreak score, relegating Amin to third place.
IM Basheer Al Qudaimi beat Candidate Master (CM) Ahmad Abu Zeid in the final round to secure fourth place with six points, while the UAE’s Saeed Ishaq completed the top five with 5.5 points following a win over Oman’s Ali Shamas Salim Issa.
In other results, Morocco’s IM Abdul Aziz Onkoud beat Abdul Kadei Sharabaty of Palestine, FM Amir Zaibi Amir of Tunisia won over FM Ali A. Al Mejbri of Libya and Iraq’s FM Ahmad Abdul Sattar Abdul Wahhab beat FM Hamoud Al Nhier of Saudi Arabia.
Tournament director Mohammad Al Husseini thanked the Arab Chess Federation and FIDE for supporting the event. He also commended the tournament officials led by international arbiter Mohammad Abdullah, the chief arbiter.
Ilyumzhinov congratulated Al Sayed for his victory and promised to continue to support the development of chess in the Arab region. He also lauded the Dubai Chess and Culture Club for successfully hosting the tournament.
