Continental chess presidents and senior international officials inaugurated the fourth edition of the FIDE World Junior Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships in Al Ain, where an intense opening day ended with five players sharing the Open lead and three tied at the top of the Girls\u2019 standings, all with perfect scores after three rapid rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the championships are organised by Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club in cooperation with FIDE and the UAE Chess Federation. The event runs from 1 to 7 November at Danat Al Ain Resort, bringing together 150 players from 40 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening brought together Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Sultan bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation, Chairman of Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club and Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee; African Chess Confederation President Bernard Wanjala; and Confederation of Chess for the Americas President Jos\u00e9 Antonio Carrillo Pujol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also attending were Javier Ochoa de Echag\u00fcen, FIDE Honorary Vice-President and President of the Spanish Chess Federation; Hulkar Tohirjonova, President of FIDE\u2019s Central Asian Zone; \u00d6zg\u00fcr Solako\u011flu, FIDE Technical Delegate; and representatives of national federations and participating delegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the UAE national anthem, Sheikh Sultan welcomed the players and delegations, highlighting the championship\u2019s role in bringing young talent together through competition, friendship and the shared values of concentration, discipline and sound decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He expressed his gratitude to H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler\u2019s Representative in Al Ain Region. He also thanked H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his patronage, alongside the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, FIDE, the UAE Chess Federation and the event\u2019s organising partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheikh Sultan noted that the championship coincides with Al Ain\u2019s designation as the Arab Capital of Tourism for 2026, offering visiting delegations an opportunity to discover the city\u2019s heritage, landmarks and hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Javier Ochoa delivered the FIDE address before Sheikh Sultan officially declared the championships open and joined the distinguished guests in making the ceremonial opening moves on the top Open and Girls\u2019 boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five players won all three opening games to share the Open lead on three points: Artem Uskov, India\u2019s Pranav V and Praneeth Vuppala, Kazakhstan\u2019s Satbek Akhmedinov, and Artiom Stribuk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Girls\u2019 competition, Kazakhstan\u2019s Zarina Nurgaliyeva, Russia\u2019s Valeria Kleymenova and Uzbekistan\u2019s Umida Omonova finished the day tied for first place with three points each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just half a point behind are Eline Roebers of the Netherlands, Aliaksandra Tarasenka of Belarus, and Russia\u2019s Marina Kuznetsova and Margarita Bendik, setting up closely contested encounters in the coming rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the UAE players, Hamad Essa Al-Bl ooshi and Husain Ali Alhammadi each collected two points in the Open competition, while Rouda Essa Alserkal scored 1\u00bd points in the Girls\u2019 event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The nine-round rapid championships continue until 4 November, followed by the blitz competitions on 5 and 6 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event marks the third world championship milestone hosted by Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club, following the World Cities Chess Championship for the Sheikh Zayed Cup in 2012 and the World Youth Chess Championships in 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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