Preparing for 2028 Olympics: UAE Chess Championship kicks off today

The UAE Chess Championship begins today (Wednesday, July 3) and will run until July 10 at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. The national competition follows international standards as part of the UAE's preparations to host the 2028 Chess Olympics in Abu Dhabi, according to WAM.

The competition is now open for multiple categories: the open category, women, under eight, and under ten, for both males and females. This edition features 140 players from most of the Emirates, representing nine clubs. Dubai leads with 41 male and female participants across all categories. Sharjah follows with two clubs: Sharjah Chess and Culture Club, which is participating with 28 players, and the Chess and Culture Club for Sharjah Women.

Abu Dhabi clubs are participating with 16 players, while Al-Ain Club has 11 players. Al-Fujairah Club follows with nine players, and Khourfakkan has two players, among other participants.

Sultan Al-Taher, head of the technical staff of the UAE Chess Federation, confirmed that the tournament is held in the classical chess system for both the open and women’s categories, with nine rounds. It is part of the agenda of internationally classified tournaments, and the laws of the International Chess Federation are applied.

Chess in every home

The Emirates Chess Federation announced today a national initiative aimed at expanding the base of local chess players, targeting school students.

As the president of the UAE Chess Federation, Taryam Matar Taryam explained that the initiative's ultimate goal is to ensure “the game reaches every home in Emirates” and to help students learn new skills of problem-solving, decision-making and proactive thinking.

In cooperation with the International Chess Federation, the initiative aims to train and qualify teachers in chess skills, enabling them to pass this knowledge on to their students based on scientific principles. This effort is supported by the Emirates School Education Foundation and the Sharjah Private Education Authority.

So far, 150 teachers from 50 schools have been registered. The second phase of this initiative will kick off in September and will include all schools in Al-Ain and Abu Dhabi.

2028 Global Chess Olympiad

The UAE is preparing to host the 2028 Chess Olympiad in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, as was announced last May, after winning the electronic vote held in December 2023.

For his part, Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation, said, "We are proud to return again to the UAE after the 1986 edition, which was held in Dubai. This country's development level is amazing, and everything is new and very comfortable. We are confident that Abu Dhabi will be an exceptional opportunity for us in the 2028 Olympics."

The upcoming international event falls into the continued efforts of the UAE to be a destination for international events and conferences. Moreover, this explains the rushed efforts to qualify the UAE national chess team in order to prepare for the Olympics, hoping it will achieve advanced positions.