The winners of the first FIDE Rated Open Chess Tournament in Qatar with QCA and AAB Management Team.
DOHA: In an unprecedented move, Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Co. WLL (AAB), exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus in Qatar, collaborated with Qatar Chess Association (QCA) to pave the way for the first FIDE Rated Open Chess Tournament in Qatar.
Under a new format, AAB organises the FIDE rated Chess Tournament with QCA to sustain the interest and passion of chess enthusiasts in Qatar by providing an avenue for them to improve their game and upgrade their world ratings. Based on the FIDE rating, the players played against each other irrespective of age.
The Tournament brought seasoned and young players to the fore. Forty-two participants ranging from age 6 and above with FIDE Rating under 2200 battled towards the Championship at the Al Abdulghani Tower.
RK Murugan, AAB’s Acting CEO, together with Kei Fujita, Toyota Japan’s Group Manager-Middle East and Central Asia Division, made the symbolic First Move during the first round. The tournament was played in 5 rounds Swiss System with 60 min + 30 sec/move timing for the whole game.
Mohammed Al Medaihki, Qatar Grand Master and President of QCA; along with Hamad Al Tamimi, QCA Executive Director; G M Mohammed Al Sayed, QCA Board of Director Member; was present at the prize giving ceremony.
The winners of the 1st AAB Chess Open are: Champion, Enrique Naperi (Philippine); 1st Runner Up, Gowtham Ramamoorthy (India); 2nd Runner Up, Salhi Imed (Tunisia); 3rd Runner Up, Mohamed Sadiq Chanthana (India); 4th Runner Up, Kamal Karim Riad (Egypt).
Special prizes were given to Best Under 20, Best Under 12 and Best Female. Meanwhile, the father and son tandem who garnered the highest combined score was also given recognition as Best Family.
AAB’s CSR initiative focusing strongly on the development of the youth is highlighted with the turnout of young chess enthusiasts comprising majority of the number of participants.
Under 12 make about 23%, whilst Under 20 comprise 38% of the participants and provided serious challenges to the more experienced and advanced players.
Worthy to note is that the 1st Runner Up, Gowtham Ramamoorthy, is a 9-year old boy who just relocated to Qatar with his family. With 4 wins and 1 draw, Gowtham has represented his age category well and has earned the admiration of fellow players and spectators. AAB Chess Open will be held twice a year with September as the tentative month for the next tournament.
For the last 7 years, AAB has been holding the Toyota Kids Chess Tournament and AAB Rapid Blitz Tournaments for kids aged 6-16 years old. It has also supported QCA for two consecutive years of the Qatar Grandmasters Open which is considered as one of the strongest chess tournaments in the world.
