Dubai: Dubai Chess and Culture Club feted the emirate’s top-achieving chess players of 2015 during a recent gala dinner at the club’s Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Hall.
Khalid Al Madfaa, Assistant Secretary-General of the Public Authority for Sports and Youth Welfare, Saeed Mohammad Hareb, Secretary-General of the Dubai Sports Council, and Ibrahim Mohammed Al Bannai, Chairman of Dubai Chess Club and Arab Chess Federation, distributed the awards to the players.
The event celebrated Dubai Chess Club’s impressive results in the previous season wherein it was adjudged the top performer among the government-supported chess clubs in the UAE.
Fide Master (FM) Saeed Ishaq topped the list of awardees as he was honoured for accomplishing a rare feat of ruling both the 2015 UAE National Men’s Championship and the equally prestigious 2015 UAE President’s Cup – two of the most important tournaments in the UAE national chess circuit.
“We would like to show our profound gratitude to all the players and staff members who performed beyond the call of duty for the greater good of the club and the country," said Ibrahim Al Bannai, Chairman of Dubai Chess and Culture Club.
"The past year was yet again full of important milestones and all these achievements would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of the players, coaches and administrative staff. We have assembled a very dynamic team and these awards underline our commitment to support them and to further strengthen the status of Dubai Chess Club as a premier chess institution in the region and internationally,” he added.
Al Bannai also thanked His Highness Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, and His Highness Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, for their continued support to sports and to the club’s programs in particular.
Woman International Master (WIM) Amna Nouman was also honoured for capturing the Arab Girls Under-20 championship and leading Dubai Chess and Culture Club to the crown in the UAE National Women’s Team Championship, where Nouman also captured the gold medal on board one.
Other members of the title-clinching Dubai team were Mariam Essa, who won the gold medal on board four, Shaima Nouman, who won the silver medal on board two, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Bashaer Khalil, who was awarded the board-three bronze medal, Aysha Jehad, Alia Ali, Yasmin Ali, Mariam Essa and Hind Faraj.
Junior players
Junior players Ali Abdul Aziz Al Fahimi and FM Ahmad Fareed were likewise recognised for overcoming some of the best players in the continent during the Asian Cities Chess Championship — Dubai Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Al Fahimi won the individual gold medal on board four, while Fareed collared the silver medal on board two.
Fareed also registered successful campaigns elsewhere, capturing a silver medal in the under-18 category of the first Arab Chess Olympiad in Morocco and a bronze in the under-16 category in the Arab Age Group Individual Chess Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Other honourees were Faisal Ali Al Abdouli, who won the UAE under-14 championship, and age-group Team champions International Master (IM) Ibrahim Sultan, Abdullah Ali, Majed Al Abdooli and Khalid Ahmed. Other young achievers feted during the event were Shaima Nouman, Jawaher Obaid, Misfer Almisafri, Mahmoud Abdullah Al Awadhi, Rashed Al Hajjaj, Anoud Ahmed and Ahlam Rashed.
Members of the coaching staff were also recognised for their role in the triumphant campaign of the players. Grandmaster (GM) Elmar Magerramov leads the club’s experienced pool of coaches that also includes WFM Elena Nekrasova, IM Eva Videnova and GM Davorin Kuljasevic. Administrative officer Ibtisam Muhyiddin was also awarded during the ceremony.
The club’s dynamic duo of International Arbiter (IA) Saeed Yusouf and FM Yahya Mohammed Saleh, former junior stalwarts who have transitioned to become energetic young officers of the club, were also recognised.
Yusouf has been at the helm of the club’s numerous tournaments as chief arbiter and tournament director, while Yahya has introduced several successful innovations and programs as the club’s Planning and Development Manager.
Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Saeed Ishaq said, “Unlike other countries, chess has enjoyed strong support from the Dubai government and from our leaders themselves. I believe the impressive results we have achieved in recent years are the fruit of the government’s continued support to the club’s programs. Recognising players for their achievements will motivate and inspire them even more to attain greater success for the UAE.”
