Stage set for Katara Ramadan Chess Open

The main round of the Katara International Ramadan Open Classic Chess Championship will start today. The event is being organised by the Qatar Chess Association (QCA) until March 23 with the participation of 86 players, both male and female, representing 16 countries, in the multi-purpose hall at Katara.
The total prize money in the tournament is QR25,000, organisers said on Wednesday.
The first round competitions will be held in the classic chess style of nine rounds according to the Swiss system, 60 minutes + 30 additional seconds for each move.
The tournament will witness the participation of a number of Qatari national team players in all age groups, namely Irfan Mohamed, Aisha al-Khulaifi, Khaled al-Jamaat, Ghada al-Khulaifi, Saif Ahmed, Fahd al-Mansouri, Turki al-Kuwari, Hamad al-Kuwari, Khaled al-Khulaifi, Rawda al-Qasabi, Fatima al-Hammadi, Asma al-Hammadi, Ali al-Nuaimi, Amer al-Hammadi, and Layan al-Qasabi, Abdul Aziz al-Mahasneh and Mohamed al-Subaie.
Hamad al-Tamimi, Executive Director of QCA, confirmed that the tournament has become one of the most prominent events on the federation’s annual calendar. He said the new edition will witnesses a large participation of national team players and international-ranked players.
Al-Tamimi added in a special interview to Qatar News Agency that the organising committee of the tournament has completed all arrangements for the start of the competitions. He said the chief target from the tournament is to help Qatar players gain experience in the presence of a large number of top players.
Al-Tamimi thanked Katara for their support of the tournament.
He said: “QCA is thrilled to partner with Katara. Our goal is to make these events annual fixtures, helping to develop the skills of Qatari chess players. This focus on player development aims to ensure a strong national team presence in the future. The combined tournaments have already unearthed promising young talents who will serve Qatar at various age group levels.”