UAE students take on international champions at 42 Abu Dhabi Chess Tournament

Abu Dhabi: Students in Abu Dhabi recently participated in a chess tournament with international champions as part of the second edition of the 42 Abu Dhabi Chess Tournament.

The event was held in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games at the 42 Abu Dhabi campus on Thursday.

It saw the participation of Sultan Al Zaabi, a former Arab Chess Champion who has held the title of International Master, and has won the UAE President’s Cup, as well as Latifah Al Darmaki, a medallist in the Arab Chess Olympiad and the UAE President Cup.

Additionally, Sultan Al Darmaki, former winner of the UAE President Cup in the Junior category, and winner of multiple medals in the UAE National Chess Championships, also joined the contest.

42 Abu Dhabi was launched in 2020 as an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and Abu Dhabi’s Ghadan 21 accelerator programme.

Beyond the classroom

The tournament served as an interactive learning opportunity for 42 Abu Dhabi coding students to witness first-hand some of the most advanced strategies used in professional chess. During the contest, the students competed with champions.

Obada Outabachi won first place in the chess tournament, with Allan Thekkepeedika in second place, German Chernysh in third place, Abu Baker Al Seri in fourth place and Abdul Samad Pila Valappil in fifth place. The winning students were awarded with prizes to encourage them to participate in such interactive events organised by the school.

Marcos Muller Habig, acting CEO at 42 Abu Dhabi, said hosting the tournament in its second edition was also meant to go “beyond coding skills to prepare students for a well-rounded career”. He added that the students competed with globally-recognised chess players and “gained an understanding about the values that chess embodies, like strategic thinking and interpersonal skills”.