Muscat: The second round competition of the World Amateur Chess Championship ( WACC), commenced with the first ceremonial move made by Taryam Matar, the President of the UAE Chess Federation, marking the official start.
The Friday games honoured by the participation of the National Chess Federation’s presidents and officials. Emmanuel Mwaka of Uganda, Adel al Amiri of Kuwait, and other officials are present in Muscat.
The championship is organised by the Oman Chess Committee in collaboration with the International Chess Federation FIDE, running from November 2 to 11, at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
The intensity of the competition increased in the second round of the Championship. The competitions witnessed strong and exciting battles among the players in a significant challenge, which doesn't recognise age difference but rather focuses on the rating and the categories specified by the tournament, which are three categories: 1700, 2000, and 2300 for both gender men and women. This resulted in younger age categories defeating the older in some matches, attributed to differences in experience, effective match management, and successful decision-making that led the players to victory. In the second round, approximately 200 matches were held with the participation of 400 ranked players representing 64 countries, competing in the three categories, and the top rankings in each category were as follows:
In the Women under 1700 category, Binoj, representing the FIDE, took the lead in the overall standings after earning two points by winning all her matches, including a victory over the Kuwaiti player Rabab Nema. Following her in the Championship rankings is Baldanjantsan from Mongolia, with two consecutive wins. Omani player Doaa al Maqbali raised her points to 1.5 with an important victory in the second round over the Sudanese player Nahal Awad.
In the Men under 1700 category, Sergei, representing the IFIDE, topped the overall standings with two consecutive wins, including a victory over the Indian player Rathore. Following him in the overall rankings is the Indian player Anshu Kr, who achieved a fantastic win against the Poland player Janusz. Omani player Khalfan al Hosni follows with two points after defeating Salem al Mamari.
In the Men under 2000 category, John Derek from Uruguay managed to achieve a second victory by defeating the Mexican player Teresa Ale, securing the top spot in the overall standings after the second round. Sudanese player Asim Ali followed, who defeated the UAE player Gaith. Belgian player Esa came after a splendid victory over Zhanybek from Kyrgyzstan.
In the Men under 2300 category, the Egyptian player Fadi took the lead in the overall standings after achieving a second victory in the second round over the Jordanian player Ghayth. He was followed by the Mongolian player Naranbold after defeating the Brazilian player, Yuri Matos. Saudi player Ahmed al Rehaili followed after defeating the Turkmenistan player Shohratguly. This intensifies the competition in the upcoming rounds as every player strives to win and earn match points to improve their overall standings.
The third round began on Saturday with strong competition that surpassed the intensity of the first and second rounds as players sought to seize opportunities to win and enhance their positions in the three categories. Some matches extended to nearly five hours due to the players' careful decision-making, aiming to make the right choices for a win. The fourth round will take place tomorrow, with high expectations from the players to achieve results that will qualify them for the championship stage.
In his comments about the tournament, Taryam Matar, the President of the UAE Chess Federation, praised the tremendous efforts made by the Sultanate of Oman in hosting this international championship. He said, "What Oman has accomplished by attracting this international championship and registering the highest number of participants in the history of the championship reflects the high effort made by the Oman Chess Committee, especially its president."
The championship reflects the high effort invested in facilitating the participation of teams and large delegations from 64 different countries, in addition to the excellent organisation of the playing hall and table divisions. Along with the live broadcast of the matches, which allows fans of the game from around the world to watch the progress of the championship.
Taryam added, "The presence of many high-ranking players in this championship will significantly contribute to raising the rankings of Omani players and will provide them with valuable opportunities to gain the necessary experience to compete in international tournaments."
In another interview with the player Petr Buchnicek, who represents the Czech Republic in the U 2300 category, despite it being his first visit to Oman, he expressed great admiration for the country and the organisation of the tournament. He said, "This is my first time visiting Oman, and I find the country to be very beautiful."
Speaking about Oman's organisation of the tournament, he said, "The organisation was professional, similar to all the field events I know because I'm not just a player, but also an international arbiter in world tournaments and similar activities."
Petr praised the level of organisation, saying that the Oman Chess Committee and the organisers have resolved and addressed all the complexities, and he expressed his optimism and confidence that the championship will be a fantastic and successful event.
Cultural and entertainment events accompanied the tournament, with the Oman Chess Committee organising trips for the participants to explore the landmarks of the Sultanate of Oman. The participants visited the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.
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