Dr Neyadi attends final round of World Youth Rapid Chess Championships
- Last updated: November 7, 2026 | 10:19
Dr Sultan Bin Saif Al Neyadi, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, officially opened the ninth and final round of the World Youth Rapid Chess Championship for boys and girls under 20, being held at Danat Al Ain Resort.
The opening ceremony was attended by Hisham Al Taher, Secretary-General of the Asian Chess Federation, Managing Director and CEO of Al Ain Chess and Mind Games Club, and the tournament director.
Dr Al Neyadi made the ceremonial first move to mark the start of the decisive round, which would determine the world champions and leading finishers in both categories.
The opening round was also attended by Jose Antonio, President of the American Chess Confederation; Javier Ochoa, President of the Ibero-American Chess Federation; Bernard Wanjala, President of the African Chess Confederation; and representatives of the participating delegations.
The final round followed nine rounds of rapid chess competition, bringing together some of the world's finest young talents in both the open and girls' categories as they battled for world titles and top positions.
The World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships for boys and girls under 20 are being held from November 1 to 7 under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Zayed Charity Foundation and President of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Organised by Al Ain Chess and Mind Games Club in cooperation with the UAE Chess Federation and under the supervision of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the championships feature 185 male and female players from 40 countries, competing for four world titles.