Dr Abdullah Ali All Barakat, Mahdi Abdul Rahim and other dignitaries during the press conference.

100 best players from around the globe including Russia’s former world champion Andrey Selivanov and Azerbaijani Grandmasters Gadir Guseinov and Eltaj Safarli will compete in the third edition of the Fujairah Endurance Chess Solving Championship.

The event will be held at the Novotel Hotel in Fujairah on Jan.25-26.

First of its kind in the Middle East, the championship will take place under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah.

Fujairah Chess and Culture Club in co-operation with the UAE Chess Federation is organising the tournament and it is also approved by World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC).

Around 300 players representing different countries are expected to take part in the event. The event carries a prize purse of Dhs140,000.

Details of the championship were disclosed at a press conference held Novotel Hotel in Fujairah.

Dr Abdullah Ali All Barakat, Chairman of the Fujairah Chess and Cultural Club Board, said, “The objective behind organising the event is to help local chess players identify any weaknesses, if any, and correct them.

“By taking part in the event, the participants would be able to solve a series of complex chess problems in a stipulated duration of time. Points are awarded for correct solutions thrown up in the least amount of time. The lowest score at the end of the competition is proclaimed the winner,” he added.

“All thanks to Crown Prince of Fujairah for supporting the tournament. Following Sheikh Mohammed’s backing now we have decided to host the Endurance Chess Solving Championship every year."

The tournament is divided into three categories.

Category 1: Classifiers above 2000 points.

Category 2: Classifiers under 2000 points.

Category 3: For promising players under 13.

Prominent among those who were present during the press conference were Muhammad Abdullah Al Zaabi, vice-president of Fujairah Chess Club, Abdel Aziz Al Abdooli, general secretary, Mohammed Abdul Ghani Al Hallak, Executive Director of Fujairah Chess and Culture Club, and Mahdi Abdul Rahim, Chairman of the Referees Committee.