Doha: The Qatar Chess Association (QCA) recently celebrated the accomplishments of its players in international tournaments by honoring several top-ranking male and female players. The honorees included the team that won the silver medal at the World Chess Olympiad held in Hungary last September. The team comprised International Master Hussein Aziz, Hamad Al Kuwari, Turki Al Kuwari, Mohammad Mansour Al Qassabi, and Irfan Mohammad Firdous.
According to Qatar News Agency, QCA also honored the team that participated in the Gulf Youth Games hosted by the UAE in April. The honored players included Hamad Saeed Al Kuwari, who won the gold medal in the Under-14 Blitz Chess category and a silver medal in the team category, Khalid Hudhaifa Al Juma'at, who secured the gold medal in the Under-14 Rapid Chess category, and Ibrahim Waleed Al Janahi, who won the silver medal in the Under-14 Blitz Chess category.
The list also included several female players from the national team. Layan Mansour Al Qassabi received the silver medal in the Under-14 Girls' Blitz Chess category and a silver medal in the Under-18 team category. Her teammate Fatima Salah Al Hammadi also won a silver medal in the Under-18 team Blitz Chess category. Additionally, Rawda Mansour Al Qassabi was honored for winning the bronze medal in the Under-18 Rapid Chess category and a silver medal in the Under-18 team Blitz Chess category.
The ceremony was attended by President of the Qatar Chess Association, Mohammed Al Mudahka, Dr. Ghanem Al Sulaiti, a board member of the association, and Hamad Al Tamimi, the QCA executive director. President Mohammed Al Mudahka expressed his happiness with the positive results achieved by the national team in recent events, particularly in the World Chess Olympiad, where the team won the silver medal in Group 5, as well as the medals secured in the Gulf Youth Championship.
Al Mudahka emphasized the importance of international participation for national teams and its role in enhancing the skills of players through exposure to various chess schools. He also highlighted the significance of local age-group tournaments organized by the federation throughout the year, which have become prominent in the federation's agenda for fostering talent and enhancing the player pool. President of the Qatar Chess Association extended his gratitude to all players and technical staff at the training center overseeing the national teams, expressing his confidence in continuing to achieve positive results in upcoming competitions.