Qatar Chess Association has concluded the competitions of the Katara International Ramadan Open Chess Championship, which featured 88 players representing 16 countries, with a total prize money of QR25,000.
Filipino player Lioula Robinson clinched the title after topping the overall standings with seven and a half points, leading ahead of Indian player Sayed Abdulqadir with a margin of tiebreaks at the conclusion of the ninth round, which was held in the classical chess format according to the Swiss system (60 minutes + 30 seconds additional for each move). Tunisian player Zoubir El Amadouni finished third with seven points, followed by Indian player Sajan Abil with six and a half points, also on tiebreaks ahead of Algerian player Jamal Ferhi, who came fifth.
Qatar's player Irfan Mohamed won the Best Qatari Player award after finishing in the eighth place in the overall standings with five points, while Qatar's player Aisha al- Khelaifi ranked 18th with five points.
Fahad al-Mansuri was chosen as the best Qatari player under 20 years old, Ahmed Saif as the best Qatari player under 16 years old, and Khaled al-Jumaa as the best Qatari player under 12 years old.
The championship witnessed the participation of several players from Qatar national teams in all age categories including Irfan Mohamed, Aisha al-Khelaifi, Khaled al-Jumaa, Ghada al-Khulaifi, Saif Ahmed, Fahad al-Mansuri, Turki al-Kuwari, Hamad al-Kuwari, Khaled al-Khelaifi, Rawda al-Qassabi, Fatima al Hammadi, Asmaa al- Hamadi, Ali Al Nuaimi, Amer Al Hamadi, Layan Al Qassabi, Abdulaziz Al Mahasnah, and Mohamed al-Subaie.
Mohamed al-Mudahka, president of Qatar Chess Association, expressed his satisfaction with the final atmosphere of the championship, confirming that the competition was strong among all players during the matches, which witnessed good levels of performance.
He stressed that the championship achieved its intended goals and received a great turnout from participants due to its significant reputation since it was first introduced a number of years ago. Accordingly, he thanked Katara for its great efforts in maintaining the continuity of organizing this championship.
Meanwhile, Hamad al-Tamimi, executive director of the Qatari Chess Association, noted that the Association has been keen on monitoring the championship after it became part of its international competitions agenda, expressing his great confidence that the success of this championship will continue to exceed expectations due to the excellent cooperation of Katara.
