Qatar Chess Federation President Mohammed Al Mudahka poses for picture with International Master Hussein Aziz, who won open blitz bronze.
Doha: The Qatar national chess team concluded its campaign at the Arab Chess Championship in Kuwait with an impressive haul of two gold medals and one bronze.
The event, held under the auspices of the Arab Chess Federation, featured 87 players from 18 Arab countries.
Qatar’s Zhu Chen dominated the women’s events, winning gold in both the rapid and blitz competitions.
In the women’s rapid, she topped the final standings with 8.5 points from nine rounds, finishing two points clear of Jordan’s Ruba Al Qudah, who took silver with 6.5 points.
The UAE’s Wafia Darwish Al Maamari claimed bronze with six points. Jordan’s Bushra Al Shaibi finished fourth, also on six points but behind on tiebreaks, while Kuwait’s Amani Al Azmi placed fifth with the same tally.
Qatar’s Ghada Al Khalifi finished 17th with four points.
Chen was equally dominant in the women’s blitz, completing a perfect sweep with 9 points from nine rounds.
Al Qudah again finished second, this time with seven points, while Algeria’s Lina Nasr secured third place with 6.5 points.
In the open blitz competition, International Master Hussein Aziz shared third place with seven points before securing the bronze medal on tiebreaks, while teammate Hamad Al Kuwari finished 28th with four points.
In the open rapid, Aziz placed 16th with 4.5 points, with Al Kuwari 19th on the same score after finishing lower on tiebreak criteria.
Qatar Chess Federation President and Arab Chess Federation Vice President Mohammed Al Mudahka stressing that the championship offered valuable experience against opponents with diverse playing styles.
Taking part in the awards ceremony, he underlined the importance of strong partnerships and practical cooperation with national federations across the Arab world to promote chess and expand the player base in all age categories.
He affirmed that the Arab Chess Federation will continue to back all initiatives aimed at developing the game and creating a unified Arab environment for excellence in chess, reflecting the ambitions of Arab countries in this longstanding mind sport.
Al Mudahka also added that this edition of the Arab Chess Championship holds special significance on the Arab chess calendar and represents an important milestone in both the development of the game and the strengthening of ties among participating delegations.
