Mr. Mohammed Al-Mudhahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation, expressed his great happiness to participate in the Olympic Torch Relay of the International Chess Federation in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, as part of the celebration of the centenary of the International Chess Federation.
Abu Dhabi was chosen to host the Olympic torch as part of the celebration of its winning bid to host the 2028 World Chess Olympiad.
Al-Mudhahka, who holds the title of International Grandmaster, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that he participated in an exhibition match alongside the African and Arab champion, International Grandmaster Ahmed Adly, against 15 players at the same time.
Al-Mudhahka, who also serves as the Executive Director of International Relations at the International Chess Federation, added that 12 cities, including Abu Dhabi, were chosen to host the International Chess Federation’s celebration of its 100th anniversary. He explained that Abu Dhabi hosted the Olympic Torch Relay before it heads to Hungary next month, coinciding with the launch of the 2024 Chess Olympiad scheduled to take place in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, from September 10 to 23.
At the end of his statements to QNA, Al-Mudhahka stressed the importance of participating in the Abu Dhabi Festival and the positive gains achieved by Qatari chess, expressing his happiness with what he saw of great passion from the participants in the 30th edition of this festival.
It is noteworthy that the Qatar Chess Federation will conclude today its participation in the 30th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, which witnesses the participation of more than 2,200 male and female players representing 82 countries.
The Qatari team is represented in the festival by 15 male and female players in various tournaments (Masters Tournament, Open Tournament A, Open Tournament B, Junior Tournament under 16 years old, and Blitz Chess Tournament).
The Qatari team delegation includes the international grandmaster Hussein Aziz, Aisha Al-Khalifi, Khaled Al-Jumaat, Ghada Al-Khalifi, Irfan Mohammed, Hamad Al-Kuwari, Turki Al-Kuwari, Fahad Al-Mansoori, Ibrahim Al-Janahi, Saif Ahmed, Mohammed Al-Qassabi, Fatima Al-Hamadi, Rawda Al-Qassabi, Asma Al-Hamadi, and Layan Al-Qassabi.