Venkatesh and Sjugirov share lead, FIDE Fair Play seminar kicked off

The fifth round of the Superstars tournament at the inaugural edition of the Fujairah Global Chess Championship ended with Sanan Sjugirov and Pranav Venkatesh sharing the lead on four points.

Sjugirov, playing for Hungary, defeated fellow countryman Gleb Dudin with the black pieces, while India’s Venkatesh overcame Mexico’s Jose Martinez Alcantara in a sharp encounter.

A closely packed chasing group trails by just half a point. Among them is Zhu Jiner, who drew with Azerbaijan’s Aydin Suleymanli, extending her steady and impressive run.

As the only female participant in the Superstars event, Zhu has showcased mature positional play, proving her ability to compete in such a strong field. Also on 3½ points are Brandon Jacobson, Andrew Hong, and Amin Tabatabaei, keeping themselves firmly in contention for the later stages.

Other notable games included India’s Raunak Sadhwani and Aditya Mittal, who generated promising winning chances against Andrew Hong and Nikolas Theodorou, respectively, but could not convert them into full points. Pranesh M held top seed Nihal Sarin to a draw, with Sarin managing to avoid a difficult position.

Meanwhile, FIDE Fair Play Seminar, taking place for the first time in the Middle East, kicked off Thursday, hosted by Fujairah Chess and Culture Club.

Organized by the FIDE Fair Play Commission in cooperation with the club, and held in parallel with the first Fujairah Global Chess Championship features participation of 20 arbiters from nine countries.

The seminar is being held in the club’s new building, with the participation of a distinguished group of international lecturers, covering several key topics including: the legal framework of fair play, anti-cheating regulations, statistical models by Professor Regan, and modern technologies used to enhance integrity in tournaments.

Dr. Abdullah AAL Barket, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fujairah Chess and Culture Club, affirmed that hosting the seminar reflects Fujairah’s efforts to promote the values of integrity and transparency in chess, noting that the event contributes to developing the capabilities of arbiters both locally and internationally, thereby supporting the organization of tournaments according to the highest standards.

For his part, Gopakumar M S from India, accredited by the FIDE Fair Play Commission, praised the interaction and engagement of the participants in the seminar, which he said reflects their awareness of the importance of integrity in the sport of chess.

The seminar will continue over four days with the participation of prominent arbiters, including Salomeja Zaksaite from Lithuania,

with the aim of building a qualified generation of arbiters capable of applying FIDE standards and reinforcing Fujairah’s position as a global sports destination for hosting specialized events.