President of the Qatar Chess Association (QCA) Mohammed Al Mudahka partook in the olympic torch relay of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of FIDE’s centenary anniversary celebration.
Abu Dhabi was selected to host the torch relay after it secured hosting the Chess Olympiad 2028.
In statements to Qatar News Agency , international grandmaster Al Mudahka expressed his joy at being part of this event where he also participated in an exhibition match with grandmaster Ahmed Adly against 15 players at the same time.
Al Mudahka, who also serves as the Executive Director for International Relations at FIDE, underlined that 12 cities, including Abu Dhabi, were chosen to host FIDE’s 100th anniversary.
Its next stop will be Hungary in line with the Chess Olympiad 2024 held in Budapest from September 10 to 23.
Participating in the 30th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival comes of importance as it benefits Qatar’s chess, Al Mudahka said.
The QCA is set to c
onclude its participation in the festival on Sunday.
The 30th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival features more than 2,200 male and female players representing 82 countries.
Qatar is represented by 15 players in various tournaments (Masters Tournament, Open Tournament A and B, Juniors Tournament, Blitz Tournament and Juniors Blitz Tournament (U-16)) The delegation includes international grandmaster Hussein Aziz, Aisha Al Khulaifi, Khaled Al Jumaat, Ghada Al Khulaifi, Irfan Mohammed, Hamad Al Kuwari, Turki Al Kuwari, Fahad Al Mansoori, Ibrahim Al Janahi, Saif Ahmed, Mohammed Al Qassabi, Fatima Al Hammadi, Rawda Al Qassabi, Asma Al Hammadi, and Layan Al Qassabi.
Source: Qatar News Agency