AAB chess tournament begins

Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co WLL (AAB), the exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus in Qatar, is conducting the AAB Chess Open FIDE-Rated tournament in collaboration with Qatar Chess Association (QCA). The tournament results are linked for individual rating purposes with the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
The AAB Chess tournament has invited all rated players to participate without any of the previous rating limitation of 2200. This exciting change makes the AAB Open one of the strongest chess tournaments in the country with high-rated players participating in it, with a woman Grandmaster also taking part. The tournament also encourages chess enthusiasts to participate as it also promotes new players to get rated or improve their rating on an international level. The tournament will be played in a classical chess format of nine rounds Swiss System and will run for two weekends.
R K Murugan, AAB’s Acting CEO and COO – Automotive, opened the tournament with the first move in the presence of Hamad al-Tamimi, president of the QCA. 
A substantial number of participants in the fourth edition of the tournament are FIDE rated. With the new format, the number of rated chess players is expected to increase. Since it began last year, around 30 chess players in Qatar have become rated and received their FIDE rating. The AAB Chess Open is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative geared towards developing the community through sports. With the strong partnership with QCA, the tournament has created a meaningful impact on the lives of the young chess enthusiasts as well as adult players who are given the chance to get world rating.