Officials with all the winners of the fourth Chess Open.
Doha: Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail), in collaboration with the Qatar Chess Association, announced the conclusion of the fourth edition of the Qatar Rail Chess Open, which was held from July 17 to 20 this year, in conjunction with the celebration of World Chess Day, observed annually on July 20.
The hosting of the tournament comes as a part of Qatar Rail’s social responsibility strategy, which is centred on launching impactful community initiatives that enhance engagement and interaction among members of the community across the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram station network.
The fourth edition of the tournament witnessed broad participation and strong competition among elite professional and amateur chess players of various ages and nationalities. The preliminary rounds were held on July 17 at the Qatar Chess Training Centre, where participants were divided into two groups and competed under a knockout format to determine the qualifiers.
Al Bidda Station on the Doha Metro also hosted the final rounds on July 20, which featured a distinguished level of competition among the qualified players, alongside the ceremony honouring the tournament winners.
Grandmaster Victor Bologan topped the final standings with 8 points.Fugar Asadli from Azerbaijan also scored 8 points, finishing second on tie-break. Saravanan Advaith from India came third with 6.5 points, while Loyola Robinson from the Philippines placed fourth with 6 points, followed by Johan Gupsy from India in fifth with 6 points. His compatriot Albin Sajjan finished sixth with 5.5 points.Erfan Mohammed of the Qatar national team placed seventh with 5 points, while Ryan Mendoza from the Philippines came eighth with 5 points. Khaled Al-Jumaat of the Qatar national team finished ninth with 4.5 points.
On this occasion, Director of Communications and Public Relations at Qatar Rail Abdulla Ali Al-Mawlawi said: “We are pleased in continuing our partnership with the Qatar Chess Association in organising another successful edition of the Qatar Rail Chess Open, reflecting the tournament’s strong presence and continued success over previous editions. Our sponsorship of this tournament falls within Qatar Rail’s commitment to supporting community and sports activities in Qatar, while also contributing to encouraging different segments of society to engage in this intellectual sport. We look forward to continuing this cooperation with the Qatar Chess Association”.
In turn, President of Qatar Chess Association Mohammed Ahmed al-Mudahka said: “We are delighted to continue this fruitful cooperation with Qatar Rail and value its ongoing support for efforts to promote chess in the community and encourage different segments of society to engage in the game. Our sustained partnership for the fourth consecutive year has resulted in another successful edition of the Qatar Rail Chess Open, witnessed an exciting competitive vibes and wide participation from talented players, reflecting the growing interest in this sport and its expanding presence at the community level”.
Alongside its role in providing reliable travel experiences for residents and visitors to the country, Qatar Rail continues to work closely with various relevant stakeholders across the State to launch and implement a diverse range of community initiatives that help strengthen social engagement and build an interactive and inspiring environment that supports learning, entertainment and communication within stations across the metro and tram networks.
