Doha: The second edition of the Exeed Open Chess Tournament 2025 came to a close. Organized by the Qatar Chess Federation (QCF), the tournament brought together 90 players from 12 countries. It was held using the Swiss system for rapid chess.
According to Qatar News Agency, Egyptian Mohamed Ezzat was crowned champion, while Indian Saravanan Advaith finished second, and Filipino Ryan Mendoza came in third. In the individual awards for Qatari players, Irfan Fardous won the best Qatari player award, while Layan Al Qassabi received the best Qatari female player award.
The winners were crowned by Alexander Volzhin, representative of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), and Ping Ding, Operations Manager of Silver Lake Motors - Exeed. Both expressed their delight at the tournament's high technical and organizational standards, as well as the participation of many countries and players in a sporting atmosphere that reflects Qatar's prominent position on the world chess map.
Noting significant participation from players of various nationalities, QCF Executive Director Hamad Al Tamimi stated that it aligns with the Federation's plan to achieve several objectives, foremost among them promoting chess culture within the community. These tournaments, he added, aim to create a generation of players who will strengthen the national teams, lead the game on the international stage, and attract talent. They are considered valuable opportunities to discover more players and expand the pool of top talent to represent Qatari chess in international competitions.
Al Tamimi commended the partnership between the QCF and Exeed in organizing the second edition of the tournament, as well as their support for efforts to encourage the practice of chess among all members of society. In recent years, the QCF has begun organizing several open tournaments in cooperation with a number of state institutions, as part of its efforts to promote the culture of the game and build strong competition among a number of chess professionals and amateurs of different ages and nationalities.