195 players in the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the 27th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Festival will start from 12-16 December at the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Hotel, under the supervision of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and organized by the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club. His prize pool is $40,000.It was decided to reduce the number of participants in the festival to 195 players from 49 countries, and the festival activities were divided into 7 different tournaments commensurate with the levels and age groups of participants, led by the Masters Championship, including the first line of defense tournament for fast chess, organized for the first time, in which the cadres working in the Health facilities, the army and the police, in appreciation of their exceptional efforts to protect the UAE community during the pandemic.
The announcement came during a press conference held yesterday, Wednesday, at the council’s headquarters, in the presence of Hussein Abdullah Al Khouri, Chairman of the Festival’s Organizing Committee, Hamda Al Mansouri, Director of the Strategic Planning Department at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Tania Al Mazrouei, representative of ADNOC, and Saeed Ahmed Mahmoud, Chairman of the Referees Committee at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. the festival.
Hussain Abdullah Al-Khoury, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Club and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Festival, said: "We are proud that the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival has become one of the most important chess events on the international map, and the focus of attention of most international players from all over the world."
He added: "The great turnout to participate in the festival makes us believe that we are on the right track. This turnout had a real significance for the status of this event and the keenness of many players to participate in it."
Hamda Al Mansouri, Director of Strategic Planning at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, thanked His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, for his generous sponsorship of the festival, which reflects the wise leadership's interest in supporting all sports and pushing its path towards success, excellence and achievements.
Al Mansouri praised the great efforts made by the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club in the process of developing the game of chess through a set of plans, programs and courses.