Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The 5th Sharjah International Masters Chess Championship will kick off at the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club with the participation of 80 players.

The championship will be held under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and organized by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club.

The top grandmasters and international masters representing 48 countries will compete in the championship, which brings in $60,000 in prize money and runs from Saturday through May 29.

Alongside the Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship, the club will also host a Challenge Championship.

Sixty international players will take part in the Challenge Championship with the aim of improving their rankings and gaining valuable experience.

Grandmaster Salem Abdul Rahman (Sharjah Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club), Amran Al Hosani (Abu Dhabi Chess Club), International Master Saeed Ishaq (Dubai Chess Club) and Ammar Al Housani (Fujairah Chess Club) will lead the UAE charge at Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship.

Sheikh Saud Bin Abdulaziz Almualla, President of the Arab Chess Federation and President of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, thanked and appreciated the support of Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammed Al Qasimi.

He also thanked the Sharjah Sports Council and the tournament sponsors.

“The 5th Sharjah International Masters Chess Championship is considered one of the most important tournaments in the world as it has attracted top grandmasters and international masters from all over the world.

“The championship also provides a great opportunity for UAE players to compete with them and gain experience.

Due to its solid reputation, the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club has become the most sought-after destination for chess players all over the world.

“The reputation of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club has been cemented by the high level of organization, as well as the remarkable success of the Fide World Chess Sharjah Grand Prix events for men and women, the World Star Championship and previous editions of the Masters Championship.

“Fans are anticipating the Sharjah Masters because of its high profile participants and huge prize pool,” added Sheikh Saud.

Rajai Al Susi, Deputy Secretary General of the Arab Federation, revealed that the Sharjah Club-based Arab Chess Federation has invited a number of Arab chess players from Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco , Iraq, Syria and Sudan to participate. in the tournament, in collaboration with the organizing committee, in order to help them develop their game.

Ragai also said that the number of international players participating in the Sharjah Masters tournament, including 60 male and female players, belongs to the oldest chess playing nations in the world such as Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Armenia , Azerbaijan, China, India, France, Spain and Hungary.

“Participating players have made their mark on the world stage and won numerous international titles and continental achievements.

“Iran, Mongolia, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Australia are among the participants, in addition to the United Arab Emirates and a number of others. Arab countries.

“The 5th Sharjah Masters is one of the strongest in the world, bringing together the best international masters, international players and title holders from all over the world. The ranking of the tournament this year is 2556 points, making it the highest at the world level of all tournaments held in the last three years,” said Rajai.

Russian grandmaster Vladimir Fedoseev, with 2,701 points, is the tournament’s top seed.

Armenian grandmaster Gabriel Eduardi Sargisyan with 2,694 points is ranked second, while Saleh of the United Arab Emirates with 2,690 points is third.

Iranian Grandmaster Seyyed Mohammad Amin Tabatabaei has won the Sharjah International Masters Chess Championship in 2021.

Fast Contracting Company, National Paints and Centro Sharjah Hotel are the sponsors of the fifth edition of the Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship.