Dubai: Fide Master (FM) Mohammad Fahad Rahman of Bangladesh is this year’s champion of the 14th Dubai Juniors Chess Tournament – Shaikh Maktoum Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup following an exciting final-round victory over the UAE’s Candidate Master (CM) Omran Al Hosani on Tuesday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.
Rahman received the Shaikh Maktoum Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup and the $2,000 champion’s prize from Khalid Khalid Al Midfa, Assistant Secretary-General of the Public Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare, Ahmad Khalifa Al Thani, Secretary-General of the Arab Federation Chess Federation and Vice-President of Dubai Chess and Culture Club, Ali Al Mutawa, Director of Corporate Support Department of the Dubai Sports Council, and Jamal Al Abdooli, Secretary-General of the club.
Rahman’s English Opening did not yield any significant advantage against Al Hosani, who was able to seize the initiative in the endgame with his rook, bishop and centralised king pressing Rahman’s weak e-pawn.
The Emirati, however, committed a strategic error on the 32nd move with a pawn push that seriously weakened his kingside pawn chain, while allowing Rahman to activate his rook and knight.
Although Al Hosani managed to cover his weaknesses, his missed an active counter play that would have allowed his rook to penetrate the white fortress via the f-file, keeping the game unbalanced. Instead, the Emirati chose to passively defend his kingside pawns, which proved inadequate as Rahman gradually consolidated his position and eventually won more material en route to a 46-move victory.
Rahman scored eight points, half a point ahead of Indian second-seed Rahul Srivatshav P, who defeated fifth-seed Kazybek Umbetov of Kazakhstan, and top-seed FM Viktor Matviishen, who won over Armenia’s 11th-seed Hayk Kocharyan. Srivatshav, however, claimed the runner-up prize with a superior tiebreak score, relegating Matviishen to third place.
CM Sultan Al-Zaabi emerged the top scorer among UAE players with seven points after winning over compatriot Amer Sultan in the final round. Fourth-seeded Ahmad Ahmadzada of Azerbaijan, who also had seven points following a victory over the UAE’s Sultan Al Darmaky, secured fourth place with a higher tiebreak score, with Al Zaabi securing the fifth spot.
Omran Al Hosani and compatriot Ebrahim Ahmad Ebrahim joined seven others in the next rung of the standings with 6.5 points each. Omran Al Hosani and Ebrahim placed 11th and 14th respectively after the tiebreaks.
Others with 6.5 points in order or ranking were Umbetov, Korcharyan, Armenia’s Eduard Hakobyan and India’s Ranjan Aryan, Gurmeher Singh, Kush Devnani and Pranav.
The special prizes were awarded to Omran Al Hosani (Best UAE Player – Boy), Fatima Al Wahabi (Best UAE Player – Girl), Ebrahim Ahmed Ebrahim (Best Dubai Chess Club Player – Boy) and Mariam Faraj (Best Dubai Chess Club Player – Girl) Al Midfa commended the Dubai Chess and Culture Club for making the annual event the premier international junior chess tournament in the region, attracting participants from different countries around the world each year. He also thanked Shaikh Maktoum Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for supporting the tournament, as well as the Dubai Sports Council for its efforts in promoting sports among the youth.
Al Abdooli said the tournament has been a very important platform in the club’s efforts to provide young players with tournament exposure against the best players from other countries.
He lauded the performance of young Emirati players such as Sultan Al Zaabi in the tournament as a strong manifestation of the growing level of competitiveness of the UAE’s youth players. Al Abdooli said the club will continue to find new ways to improve the tournament, including organising more sightseeing activities for players and parents during non-playing days.
Rahman, who is competing in the UAE for the second time after participating in the World Youth Championships in 2013 in Al Ain, praised the club for the excellent organisation of the tournament. He said he is looking forward to visit various tourist attractions in Dubai after the gruelling weeklong competition.
