Fourth Edition of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Blitz Chess Tournament begins on Saturday

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The 4th Edition of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Blitz Chess Tournament, will take place at the Abu Dhabi Ladies Club on Saturday.

Hosted by Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, the chess event will be held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of both the General Women’s Union and Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Chairwoman of Family Development Foundation "Mother of the Nation".

The number of entry registrations has reached more than 100 players.

Top names taking part in the tournament include Grandmaster Maria Kevorkian from Armenia, Mehri Guldyaeva from Turkmenistan, Alina Nekruzova from Ukraine, Alexandra Grishna from Russia.

With the guarantee of the participation of the most prominent players and notable names, top-ranked talent in the International Chess Federation world ranking system, the tournament will follow the Swiss games system which consists of seven rounds.

Amal Al Afifi, FBMA Board Member extended her gratitude and appreciation to Sheikha Fatima, and Shaikha Fatima Bint Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairwoman of FBMA, President of the Abu Dhabi Ladies Club and Al Ain Ladies Club, for their tremendous support and diligent care for women in all major fields of sport by providing them with a opportunities to participate and engage sports activities.

“Hosting these competitive events and tournaments year in year out, will serve to encourage women’s participation thus guaranteeing representation of all women who wish to do so, in return placing an emphasis on the importance of organizing the fourth annual FBMA Blitz Chess Tournament is a credit to the professionalism of the outstanding efforts of the organizational committee, sponsors and officials, and it is also an extension of the continuous support and guidance of the wise leadership.”

The tournament carries a prize purse of Dhs33,000.

Amal said: "This event aims to broaden the scope of outreach in regard to chess culture, strengthen its development and mass appeal to members of the community, as societal norms have been redefined with women at the forefront, and their representation serves as an inspiration and highlights their success stories and continuous development.

Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), welcomed participants for the fourth Women’s Blitz Chess Championship in Abu Dhabi.

“The championship is another important event within the plans of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Fatima Bint Mubarak Women's Sports Academy in supporting women's sports,” Awani said.

“This championship in its fourth edition now provides opportunities for all participants in different categories and levels to gain experience against players with high FIDE rankings, and obviously prepare them to represent the UAE in regional, continental and international competitions.”

Hussain Abdullah Al Khouri, president of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Brain Games Club, added: "For the fourth consecutive year, this spectacular chess event is being organized in partnership with the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, and it is without a doubt that the goals of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games club will be achieved in the best way.”