MUSCAT: The Oman national chess team has wrapped up its intensive preparations for the upcoming Asian Chess Championship, set to take place in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, from December 13 to 22. The championship will feature age categories including youth, cadets and juniors as Oman will be represented by a team of 13 players across various age groups.
Under the guidance of coach Bashir al Qadimi, the youth team engaged in a rigorous three-day training camp at Al Amal Club. The focus of the camp was on honing both offensive and defensive strategies to ensure the team is well-prepared for the challenges ahead. This physical training camp complemented the daily virtual training sessions that have been ongoing since the beginning of December. The virtual sessions covered individual tactical exercises, finals, analysis of games played by world champions, discussions on playing styles, and in-depth insights from the opening to the endgame. The comprehensive training aimed at maximising strategic skills in openings, middlegame, finals, tactics, and overall critical thinking.
The Oman Chess Committee emphasised maximising participation in the Asian Youth Chess Championship to enhance players' skills and experiences, provide more interaction with world champions in the tournament, refine their expertise and achieve new ranking numbers, especially for new and unrated players.
The Omani delegation, consisting of Basmah al Sadeeri as the delegation head, Khaled al Maliki as the mission administrator and coach Bashir al Qadimi, is accompanied by 13 players from various age groups. The players include Majid al Riyami, Abdulaziz al Hinai, Amar al Hatmi, Mohammed al Riyami, Ahmed al Rahbi, Hamoud al Busaidi, Firas al Lawati, Meitha al Maqbali, Noor al Ghafri, Duaa al Maqbali, Fatma al Ghafri, Reem al Shukaili and Hoor al Shukaili.
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