(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Chinthana Wasala |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: World's best chess players including five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen will battle for top honours in the highly-anticipated third edition of the Qatar Masters Open 2023 which begins at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall today.
The prestigious tournament, hosted by the Qatar Chess Association (QCA), has attracted a total of 250 male and female players from 42 countries including 16 Arab nations. India has fielded maximum players sending a staggering 76 participants in the competition.
The premier event is also featuring 62 Grandmasters, including the likes of Norwegian wizard Carlsen, who is also the title holder of the 2015 Qatar Masters in which he dethroned the 2014 winner Yu Tangi in the final.
Carlsen, who arrived in Doha yesterday, will join a star-studded field which also includes American Hikaru Nakamura, who holds the third position globally and Anish Giri from the Netherlands, currently ranked seventh worldwide. The event will also feature Jorden van Foreest, an eighth-ranked participant from the Netherlands, as well as India's world no 8 Dommaraju Gukesh, and Iran's Parham Maghsoodloo, currently seventh in the world.
Among female stars, there will be the reigning blitz chess world champion Bibisara Assaubayeva from Kazakhstan as well as Indian Grandmasters Rameshbabu Vaishali and Vantika Agrawal. Qatar will be represented by Hussein Aziz, ranked 141st in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Qatar Masters B Tournament, held simultaneously, will also see a host of international players.
The Qatari players who will be looking to make their homeland proud, are Fahd Al Mansouri, Mohammed Al Qassabi, Hamad Al Kuwari, Mohammed Al Khayyat, Turki Al Kuwari, Mohammed Al Subaie, Amer Al Hammadi, Tamim Al Ghanim, Hamad Al Fahd, Ahmed Al Khanji, and Ahmed Saif. In the women's category, Kholoud Al Khulaifi, Asma Al Hammadi, Fatima Al Hammadi, Layan, and Rawda Al Qassabi.
A prizebag of $108,250 will be on offer at the 10-day event, with $25,000 reserved for the winner, $15,000 for the runner-up and $10,000 for third place. Special prizes for women, juniors and Arabic players will also be provided.
Rounds will be played daily from today with the first move set for 3.00pm. The players will get a rest day on October 16 after the fifth round of the competition.
During a technical meeting held yesterday, attended by QCA President and Qatar Masters Organising Committee Chairman Mohammed Al Mudahka as well as a number of FIDE officials and members of the Arab Chess Federation, said arrangements were in place to host an exceptional event.
The QCA President said:“We welcome all participating delegations, including coaches, administrators, and players, and we hope that the current the third edition will be a huge success.”
Al Mudahka also pointed out that entry will be free for fans, and some accompanying events will be held on the sidelines of the tournament.
“After the tournament was held in 2014 and 2015, we look forward to maintaining the reputation of the tournament that it gained in the previous two editions. We hope that our efforts will culminate in presenting a distinguished edition and witnessing wonderful levels from all participants,” he said.
Renowned as one of the most formidable open chess tournaments globally, the Qatar Masters is all set to deliver another stretch of world class moves of the world's top-ranked players in the coming days.
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