Iraqi chess clubs semi-finals start next week

FEATURES

Security 2013-06-19

Iraqi military: security efforts thwarted al-Qaeda regional plans

Army security successes, alongside civilian support, thwarted al-Qaeda's plans to set up direct contact between Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria and al-Qaeda in Iraq, officials say.
Religion 2013-06-19

Iraqi mosques offer classes to foster national unity

Students of both genders can take Islamic summer classes that aim to combat sectarianism and extremism by promoting awareness of the faith and its sects.
Terrorism 2013-06-18

Anbar clerics warn Iraqi youth against fighting in Syria

In a June fatwa, scholars caution young people about the dangers of becoming embroiled in the conflict and instead encourage them to step up humanitarian aid in co-ordinati...
Elections 2013-06-18

Iraqi security forces vote in Anbar election

A suicide attack in Fallujah did not deter those voting early in the Anbar provincial council elections from flocking to polling stations, officials said.

Iraqi chess clubs semi-finals start next week

2011-09-09 (9/9/11) -- By Laith al-Katib in Baghdad

Under the nine-round Swiss system, each match time is set at 75 minutes. [Ina Fassbender / Reuters]

COMMENT 5

en_GB, articles, sharing, tweet

The semi-finals of the Iraqi men's chess premier league will begin Thursday (September 15th) in Duhok province.

Iraqi Central Chess Federation (ICCF) president Dhafir Abdul Ameer said it would be one of the most important championships for Iraqi chess players.

"During this tournament, we will focus on the best and most prominent players to add them to the national teams."

Abdul Ameer said the chess federation wants to take part in the Pan Arab Games held in Qatar at the end of this year.

"Therefore, the Iraqi team will have a national mission represented in winning the title, given that it is the strongest and most prominent candidate among the participating teams," he said.

Iraqi national chess team player Hussain Ali said the coming championship would be very competitive.

"The Iraqi chess club finals will be important for several reasons, including the fact most of the distinguished players are taking part in the event, which will make competition to win advanced places very strong."

ICCF secretary Abdul Hadi Maftul said the federation has issued new instructions for the Iraqi chess club finals, including organizing the event using the nine-round Swiss system, which sets match times at 75 minutes and adds 30 seconds per move.

"The participating teams were classified based on their results in the local Olympiads," Maftul said. "Teams classified from first through sixth places will be able to take part in the event with three players, while teams classified seventh through twelfth will take part with two players only."

Chess has started to attract many distinguished players of various ages in the past few years in Iraq. The Iraqi national teams have successfully taken part in many international championships, including the world school championship played in Turkey last year, in which Iraq came in sixth place.

The Iraqi school team also won second place in the Arab school championship last year in Egypt, where Iraqi players won two gold and three silver medals.

Other prominent results include Iraqi national team player Araz Bassim's sixth place win last year in the Asian championship, representing the most prominent achievement the ICCF has made on the Asian level in individual contests.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS ARTICLE? (TOTAL VOTES: 0)

0 Like(s)0 Dislike(s)

READER COMMENTS

علاوي جواد

2011-10-21

As a fan and even a lover of the game of chess, I wish success for this popular game that is loved by many Iraqis, because it is one of the most beautiful and entertaining games that develop the thinking and mental abilities of those who play it. It is enough that this game is called the game of kings. Herein lies its beauty and importance, as Iraq has a large number of chess players whom we cannot underestimate, and it also has many of the champions who represent Iraq in many external tournaments and championships. Those who have achieved advanced positions raise the name of Iraq in the Asian Union in the game of chess. For this, I hope for success for the Iraqi League semi-final game of chess. It will be held in the governorate of Duhok in the north of Iraq. This local tournament will include many of the teams which have names that achieved a lot of victories and which have become celebrated in the Iraqi, Arab and Asian Union in the game of chess. I hope these finals will witness great success which will enable Iraq to get out with significant players through whom it can achieve positive results from the external victories which await Iraq in the game of chess, especially in the competitions of the Arab championship, which will be held in Qatar soon. I am filled with hope that there will be great attention paid to our chess players' levels, as well as providing them all kinds of support, so they will be prepared for the semi-finals of the Iraqi League, and for the external championships in which the Iraqi heroes in chess will participate.
صباح اللامي

2011-10-21

We support the holding of the semi-final championship and I hope those who qualify will witness an outstanding success. This will add a lot to our chess players; it will help in raising their morale and help them acquire more technical approaches, and refine their experiences. They will come out of these competitions with the persons who will win the first place and who deserve to represent Iraq in the championships and in the next games held abroad. We wish that Iraq would attain advanced levels that promote the spread of this game in Iraq more than before, as there are many of the countries that are developed in the sports field, that pay a great attention to this game. It is a very beautiful game, and I love game of chess very much. It requires intelligence, acumen, speed and agility, and it is a greatly beautiful and exciting game.
ايوب حسن

2011-10-18

I wish success to the chess league in Iraq, whose semi-final round will start next week. We hope that we will see strong competitions between the teams and the players, despite the fact that I feel disappointed as a result of the lack of interest in this game and other beautiful games, due to the interest in soccer, which seizes all attention. Anyway, we wish success to all participants in the chess league and we want to see more care for this game and its tournaments in the future.
بحيى

2011-10-18

I sincerely wish for the success of the semi-final round of the chess championship in Iraq, as I am a big fan of this game, which amuses and entertains me mentally. I spend much time in practicing it with my friends, who also love this game, just like me. Hence, I wish to improve the game of chess in Iraq. This requires more attention on the part of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and more care for the fans of this game. We also want to see many tournaments in Iraq to discover the new talents, who should appear on weekly TV programs that are dedicated to shed light in this game and its local and international news. Such programs should provide advice to the lovers of this game, in order for it to develop in Iraq and compete at the level of the major international championships.
othman

2011-10-14

We wish all the success to the players in the semifinals of the Iraqi Chess Championship that will start next week. We wish to have champions and professionals in this game, which is considered the game of kings. Chess needs a lot of patience, concentration, intelligence and wit. It also needs good planning skills through correct moves to overcome the opponent aptly. This is why I wish all the luck and success to the players. I hope they reach the best of levels and places that they will earn with their smartness, qualifications, potentials, abilities and talents. We have many champions of chess in Iraq, whether males or females. We wish all the success to the players; we hope they play and present their best. We hope more and more players can go through the experience, because it is a game loved by many boys and girls. Best of luck to all the participants in this beautiful and entertaining experience!