Doha: The third edition of the Qatargas Chess Championship will be held from February 11 to 14, organisers said yesterday
The four-day event will be organised by the Qatar Chess Association for children falling in the age bracket of 6 - 16 years, Mohammed Al Medaihki (pictured right), General Secretary, QCA, said.
The event will be held at the Al Muntaza Model Primary School for Boys.
Qatargas is the title sponsor of this annual tournament which will be conducted as per the Swiss-system for rapid chess involving nine rounds with each round lasting 25 minutes and allowing ten seconds for every move.
Young chess enthusiasts residing in Qatar can register their names via the Qatar Chess Association’s website: www.qatarchess.com, Al Medaihki said.
“Whoever wantsto feature in the event, they can go to the home page of our website, download the form, fill it up and bring it to us,” Al Medaihki said.
Commenting on Qatargas’ support for the championship, Azam Abdulaziz Al Mannai, Qatargas Public Relations Manager said:“We are pleased to continue our support to the Qatar Chess Association in organising this tournament, which will provide an excellent opportunity for young chess enthusiasts in Qatar to compete against each other and hone their skills.”
Al Mannai said: “Our support to the game of chess is part of a strategy we have adopted in promoting sporting activities that are gaining popularity in Qatar.
He added: “The aim of this strategy is to help in nurturing young talents in the country by creating opportunities for them to develop further, thereby contributing to achieving the Human Development goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.”
Al Medaihki thanked the sponsors for their ‘overwhleming support’:
“We thank Qatargas for its continued support to this championship which will help to further promote the game of Chess in Qatar particularly amongst the youngsters,” Al Medaihki said.
“The past two editions of the tournament were a great success and we hope to attract even more participants this year.
“Chess, as we all know, has great benefits in terms of enhancing the mental skills of children and boosts their academic achievement.
“Qatargas’ support to this event underlines the Company’s commitment to the local community and its keenness in supporting the overall development of our young generation,” Al Medaihki said.
He added that QCA has completed all preparations for making the tournament a grand success.
It is expected that the tournament will witness strong competition among nearly 250 young players who will include this year those from several Gulf countries.
The Peninsula
