Dr. Sheikh Khalid Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Imran Abdullah, Jamal Issa Al Midfa, Ali Al Jallaf, Omar Noman Al Ali, Rajai Al Susi, and Efstratios Grivas during the press conference.

Amir Naqvi, Sports Editor

The prestigious 6th Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship 2023, will begin at the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club on Wednesday, with the participation of 210 male and female players, including 90 Grandmasters.

The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and is organised by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club. Top chess stars representing 64 federations from across the world will also compete in the main event, the Sharjah Masters, which is billed as the strongest ever invitational open tournament in history with an average player rating of 2618.

The 6th Sharjah Masters 2023 - International Chess Championship offers a prize purse of $60,000 and will be concluded on May 25.

Besides the Masters’ section, the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club will also host the inaugural edition of the Future and the Challengers sections.

UAE’s top-ranked player, Grandmaster Salem AR Saleh, will lead the country’s charge at the Sharjah Masters. He is joined in the line-up by International Master Saeed Ishaq, FIDE Master Ammar Sedrani and FM Abdulrahman Mohammad Al Taher, as the Emiratis fancy their chances of winning gold.

Dr Sheikh Khalid Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the event, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Dr Sheikh Sultan for his sponsorship of the 6th Sharjah Masters 2023 - International Chess Championship, as well as his support for all the activities of the club and its players.

He also thanked Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Salem Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, for their support.

Dr. Sheikh Khalid also hailed Sheikh Saud Bin Abdul Aziz Almualla, Chairman of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, Sharjah Sports Council, and sponsors of the tournament, including Alef Group, Fast Building Contracting Company, National Paints Company, and Sharjah Cooperative Society, for their support.

“Due to the fact that it has drawn a sizable number of elite Grandmasters and International Masters from all over the world, the 6th Sharjah Masters 2023 - International Chess Championship is regarded as one of the most significant competitions in the world,” said Dr. Sheikh Khalid.

“The event offers the best UAE players a fantastic opportunity to compete alongside them and acquire experience”, said Sheikh Saud.

“Due to its strong reputation, the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club has become a most sought-after destination for chess players throughout the world.

“The excellent calibre of organisation, as well as the astounding success of the World Stars Championship, prior iterations of the Masters Championship, and FIDE World Chess Sharjah Grand Prix events for men and women, have solidified Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club’s reputation,” he added.

The Arab Chess Federation, headed by Sheikh Saud, President of the Arab Chess Federation, which is based at the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, in cooperation with the Organising Committee, has invited a number of Arab players from Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Palestine, and Djibouti, with the aim of helping them to raise their technical level and international rankings.

The list of top players competing in the championship includes Iranian Grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo with a rating of 2734, Indian Grandmasters GM Dommaraju Gukesh (2732) & Vidit Gujrathi (2731), Chinese Grandmaster Yu Yangyi (2729), Russian Grandmaster Sanan Sjugirov (2712), USA Grandmaster Hans Niemann (2708), and his compatriot Ray Robson (2704).

Rajai Al Susi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab Federation, said: “The 6th Sharjah Masters 2023 - International Chess Championship is one of the strongest at the global level, bringing together the best Grandmasters, International Masters and title holders from around the world.

“The Masters’ section rating this year is 2618 points, making it the highest rated at the global level of all tournaments in the chess history,” added Rajai.