The third edition of the Qatargas Chess Championship, organized by the Qatar Chess Association (QCA) was held from 11 – 14 February 2016 at the Al Muntaza Model Primary School for Boys. Nearly 120 boys and girls between 6 – 16 years old participated in the tournament.
A ceremony was held on Sunday after four days of exciting competition, to award prizes to the winners. Azzam Abdulaziz Al-Mannai, Qatargas Public Relations Manager, attended the ceremony and gave away the prizes. He was joined by Mohammed Ahmed Al-Medaihki, General Secretary, QCA, Hamad Al Tamimi, Executive Director, other senior officials of QCA and Mariam Al Hor, Director of Al Muntaza Model School.
The top ten winners received prizes. The top three prizes were claimed by Egyptian Menatalla Al-Taftazani, Indian Pushkar Suhas Talwakar and Qatari national Salih Al Hor respectively. Qatari national players Khalid Al Ansari, Ali Al Saadi, Abdulla Al Ansari, Al Maha Bahzad Ali, Fatma Hussein and Mudhiya Al Hajri, put on a good performance.
The tournament started on Thursday, 11 February and concluded on Sunday 14 February 2016. A total of nine rounds, were played with each round lasting up to 20 minutes. Valuable prizes were distributed to winners and participants.
Qatargas has been a title sponsor of this championship for the past three years as part of the Company’s strategy to promote sporting activities that are gaining popularity in Qatar. The aim of this strategy is to help in nurturing young talents in the country by creating opportunities for them to develop further, thereby contributing to achieving the Human Development goals of Qatar National Vision 2030. The tournament provides an excellent opportunity for young chess enthusiasts in Qatar to compete against each other and test their skills.