Kuwait: Qatar's national player Zhu Chen won the gold medal in the Women's Rapid Chess event at the ongoing Arab Chess Championship, hosted in Kuwait until November 25. The tournament features 87 players from 18 Arab countries, under the supervision of the Arab Chess Federation.

Zhu Chen claimed first place in the overall standings of the rapid event after securing a perfect 9 points from 9 rounds, ahead of Jordan's Ruba Al Qudah, who finished second with 7 points, while Algeria's Lina Nasr came third with 6.5 points, earning the bronze medal. Lebanon's Nadia Fawaz ranked fourth with 5.5 points, equal to Jordan's Boshra Alshaeby, but edged her on tiebreaks, followed by Palestine's Iman.

Qatar's Ghada Al Khalifi finished in 16th place with 2 points.

Zhu Chen had previously won double gold in the women's rapid and blitz events at the Arab Games held in Algeria in July 2023, topping the standings with 7 points.

In the remaining results for Qatar's players, International Master Hussein Aziz finished 16th in the rapid event with 4.5 points, the same tally as Hamad Al Kuwari, who ranked 19th, trailing on tiebreaks.

The championship continues today with the start of the Blitz Chess competition.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), President of the Qatar Chess Federation, Mohammed Al Mudahka, expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, noting that participation in the tournament offered players valuable exposure to different playing styles, in addition to improving their international ratings and achieving strong results.

Al Mudahka emphasized that the championship features some of the Arab World's top players, presenting an excellent opportunity to boost international rankings for Qatar's team. He added that the tournament has become one of the most important events on the Arab Chess Federation's calendar, as it provides a truly competitive environment in classical, rapid, and blitz formats and awards international titles to the champions.

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