Oman Individual Chess Open 2026 heats up after 4th round

MUSCAT: The Oman Individual Chess Open 2026 moved into a more decisive phase after the fourth round, which featured key clashes among leading contenders and fresh surprises that kept the title race wide open. With the leading players separated by only a narrow margin, the battle for top honours is beginning to take clearer shape.

Board one saw a strong encounter between Candidate Master Hamood al Busaidy, rated 1954 and Waddah al Sabti, rated 1596. Al Busaidy managed to settle the contest in his favour to stay on course among the leading title challengers.

On Board Two, Ali al Hamrashdi (1720) produced a spirited performance against Candidate Master Mana al Kathiri (1875), but the latter relied on his experience and composure to secure victory and remain firmly in contention near the top of the standings.

The General Clubs Championship saw varying levels of play, with the second and third rounds experiencing a back-and-forth battle, with the score still 2-1.

The biggest talking point of the round came on Board Three, where Abdulrahman al Sawafi (1551) continued his remarkable campaign with another upset, this time overcoming Khalfan al Hosni (1808). The result extended Al Sawafi’s impressive streak and further established him as one of the standout performers of the tournament so far.

On Board Four, Said Shamas (1714) and Rashid al Jabri (1799) shared the points after a closely contested encounter. Another notable result came on Board Five, where Thabit al Hosni (1664) held Candidate Master Salim al Amri (1980) to a draw, denying one of the pre-tournament favourites a full point and highlighting the highly competitive nature of the event.

Elsewhere, Ziyad al Bakri (1565) drew with Imad al Balushi (1806) on Board Six, while Abdulmalik al Sabti (1744) claimed a valuable win over Manaf Bait Said (1660) on Board Seven.

The general club championship saw varying levels of performance, with intense competition in the second, third, and fourth rounds.

On Board Eight, Candidate Master Amir al Maashani (1994) returned to winning ways with a victory over Imran al Maamari (1681), bouncing back well after earlier setbacks. Another surprise came on Board Nine, where Mohammed Al Maamari (1640) defeated Salim al Amri (1913). Meanwhile, Mohammed al Saeedi (1892) completed the top-board results with a win over Anas al Yahmadi (1639) on Board Ten.

At the end of the fourth round, Abdulrahman al Sawafi moved to the top of the standings with 4 points, level with Hamood al Busaidy, who also raised his tally to 4 points, and Mana al Kathiri, who maintained his strong form and finished the round on the same total.

Just behind the leading trio, Said Shamas, Thabit al Hasani, Rashid al Jabri and Abdulmalik al Sabti were all on 3.5 points, while Khalfan al Hosni followed with 3 points as the title race remained wide open.