Dubai: Dubai continued its dominance in the UAE chess circuit after winning both the men’s and women’s events of the UAE Team Chess Championships 2017, which concluded over the weekend. Powered by mainstays of the Dubai Chess and Culture Club, the Dubai squads each scored 9.5 points to rule their respective divisions.
A 2-2 draw with Abu Dhabi in the final round was enough to clinch the men’s title, while Woman International Master Amna Nouman provided the heroics in another 2-2 result with Al Ain that also proved enough to secure the women’s championship.
Reigning UAE champion Fide Master Saeed Ishaq and FM Othman Moussa went three-for-three on boards two and three to lead Dubai in claiming the coveted title over the more fancied Sharjah team, which was bannered by Grandmaster Salem Saleh, the 2015 Asian Continental Champion, and backed up by International Masters Omar Noaman and Hassan Abdullah. Sharjah was a full point behind to settle for the silver medal, while Abu Dhabi had six points for third.
Despite playing without a grandmaster in its roster, Dubai managed to defeat Sharjah, 2.5-1.5, in the opening round, which proved to be decisive as the Dubai players maintained their full-point edge throughout the event.
FM Yahya Mohamed Saleh, Dubai Chess Club’s planning and development manager, returned to action after a long hiatus to man the top board for Dubai, while other members of the team were Candidate Master Najib Saleh on board four and reserve players IM Ibrahim Sultan, Ali Abdulaziz and Abdulla Ali.
In the women’s event, Nouman delivered the crucial win in the draw with Al Ain as Dubai ended up in tie with Sharjah with 9.5 points apiece. Dubai, which defeated Sharjah, 3-1, in the fourth round, was awarded the championship after the tiebreaks were applied, relegating Sharjah once again to second place. Al Ain was third with five points.
Nouman won all of her four games to spearhead Dubai’s campaign in event, which was held over several weekends. Other members of the champion team were Woman Candidate Master Khalil Bashaer, Aysha Jehad and Jawaher Obaid.
Dubai also scored a sweep earlier in the year when Ishaq and Nouman won the men’s and women’s titles of the UAE National Rapid Chess Championships 2017.
“It was a very tough event as we were up against the best talents across the UAE,” said Najib Saleh, who is also the technical director of the Dubai Chess Club. “However, we came prepared and played very solid throughout the tournament and that made the big difference for Dubai in the end. Dubai Chess and Culture Club’s long-term training program has certainly been a vital factor in the exceptional performance of Dubai players this year and we hope to sustain the momentum for the rest of the year.”
