Fujairah Chess and Culture Club set to host 45th World Chess Solving Championship

Adding another feather to its cap, Fujairah Chess and Culture Club will host the 45th World Chess Solving Championship.

Alongside the World Chess Solving Championship, the 64th World Congress of Chess Composition will take place, with delegates from across the world attending.

The club will also host the Fujairah International Blitz Chess Championship, which will mark the end of eight days of activities.

UAE will be the first Arab country in the Middle East to organize the World Chess Solving Championship and to host a general assembly, as it has never been held before.

The 45th World Chess Solving Championship and 64th World Congress of Chess Composition will take place under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah.

649 participants representing 45 countries will compete in the World Chess Solving Championship.

The details of the two world-level events taking place from November 12 to November 19 were disclosed in a press conference held at the Novotel Hotel in Fujairah.

Dr Adbulla AAL Barakat, president of Fujairah Chess and Culture Club and chairman of the organising committee, and Mohammed Abdullah Al Zaabi, vice president of the club, addressed the media in the presence of the board of directors, including Engineer Ibrahim Jalal, Jassem Heikal and Maryam Al Matroushi.

Harry Fougiaxis, President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), joined through video conferencing.

Fougiaxis, in his address said: “Thank you for inviting me to this press conference! I see that it attracted a great deal of media attention, and for good reason.

“This is a historical event, the first time happening in the Arab world. It attracted a record number of countries and participants from all around the world.

“I want to thank the Crown Prince of Fujairah for his patronage, Dr. Abdulla Ali AAL Barakat, the UAE delegate in the WFCC, the Fujairah Chess and Culture Club for its organization, and Marjan Kovaevi and Julia Vysotska, who are assisting them. I will join you in a few days, but I already see it will be a memorable event.”

Dr Adbulla AAL Barket expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Sheikh Hamad and Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Fujairah Department of Industry and Economy, for their unwavering support, which enabled Fujairah chess to experience amazing growth on a global scale and helped Emirate host this prestigious tournament.

“The event offers cash awards worth €40,000, with the winner taking home €30,000. The Fujairah International Blitz Chess Championship carries a prize purse of Dhs40,000. At the level of the past events, these awards are the largest,” said Dr. Barakat.

Zaabi stated arrangements are being made to host the UAE and the Middle East’s first World Chess Solving Championship and World Congress of Chess Composition.

He also mentioned that the organizing committee put a lot of effort into helping the players register successfully by working with the International Federation to resolve issues.

Marjan Kovacevic, arguably Serbia’s most iconic first-class solver and one of the few in the world to hold the Grandmaster title in both solving and composing, said: “ Many important issues will be discussed during the 64th World Congress of Chess Composition along with six tournaments held in conjunction with the World Championship for resolving chess-related issues. This reflects the prestige and value of the significant chess gathering.”