Giri and Abdusattorov share lead as Sharjah Masters surpasses 1m views

The 8th edition of the Sharjah International Masters Chess Championship, organized by the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has officially surpassed one million views across social media platforms and international chess websites.

Abdallah Murad Al Mazmi, Tournament Director, attributed this milestone to the global interest in the event, which features 350 players from 60 countries — making it a truly international competition.

He noted that the daily broadcast of matches on specialized global platforms draws over 250,000 views per day, with India leading in online engagement due to the country’s strong player representation and deep-rooted chess culture.

Al Mazmi added that the presence of many internationally titled players significantly enhanced the tournament’s prestige. The Sharjah Masters is also officially recognized by FIDE, allowing participants to earn qualifying points for the World Cup.

In a major achievement, China’s Huang Renjie secured the title of International Master after earning 3.5 points — with five draws and one victory — achieving his final norm.

He becomes the second player in this edition to earn a title, following Kazakhstan’s Edgar Mamedov, who was awarded the Grandmaster title. This marks the first time in the tournament’s history that two players have earned international titles during the event.

Meanwhile, the eighth round of the championship was inaugurated by Dr. Sultan Al Taher, Board Member of the UAE Chess Federation and Head of Technical Affairs, along with Imran Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and Omar Fathi Afana, General Manager of FAST Contracting Company, a sponsor of the tournament.

The penultimate round featured intense competition at the top of the leaderboard, as Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri and top-seed Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov shared the lead with 6 points.

They were closely followed by a group of five players with 5.5 points: Serbians Aleksandar Indjic and Velimir Ivic, Armenian Shant Sargsyan, and Iranians Bardiya Daneshvar and Amin Tabatabaei.

Fourteen players, including UAE’s Salem Abdulrahman of the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club, trail just behind with 5 points.