Your move: UAE residents stand to win up to Dh10,000 at online chess tournament

You could win thousands of dirhams in one of two online chess competitions – one for UAE residents and one for professional players

A suspected Al Qaeda-linked extremist played chess during deradicalisation mentoring sessions after he was deported to the UK from Turkey. Getty

The Abu Dhabi Sports Council has proved that it is two steps ahead of the game with the launch of an online chess initiative to keep the community engaged while adhering to the UAE’s “stay at home” order.

Held in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chess Club, the initiative is comprised of two digital chess tournaments (one for professionals and one for UAE residents), to take place between Wednesday, April 8, and Wednesday, April 15. Participants can play the matches on a computer or mobile device and stand a chance to win big cash prizes.

Here’s what you need to know about the two tournaments:

The Stay Home Abu Dhabi Chess Tournament:

This online event is open to UAE residents only and will take place daily at 7pm from Wednesday, April 8, until Monday, April 13.

How to register

1.   Create an account on chess.com.

2.   Search for Abu Dhabi Chess Club on chess.com and join.

3.   All players must send the following information to [e-mail] via email:

• Their Emirates ID or Residence visa
• Name
• Contact Number
• Home address

Regulations

1.   The event will be played in the Grand Prix system with five tournaments in the cycle.

2.   Each tournament will be held on the Swiss System of 11 rounds.

3.   Time control for each game will be three minutes + one second increment.

4.   Top 24 players (according to chess.com tiebreak) from each edition will receive points determining their overall score.

5.   Top 24 players according to the number of points accumulated will qualify to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Final to be held on Monday, April 13. Players must play minimum three editions to be eligible for qualifying in the final.

The first place winner of the Stay Home Abu Dhabi Chess Tournament wins Dh10,000, the second place winner gets Dh5,000 and the third place winner gets Dh3,000. Those in the fourth-to-24th position get Dh1,000 each.

Abu Dhabi Super Blitz Challenge

The Abu Dhabi Super Blitz Challenge will take place on Wednesday, April 15, at 9pm. Participation is limited to international title holders registered through www.chess.com (this includes Grand Masters, International Masters, Fide Masters or National Masters). You do not have to be a UAE resident to take part.

The event has already seen some distinguished chess players from all over the world confirm their participation – and more than 500 players are expected to join.

Organised under the supervision of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club, the event will take place at 9pm and will be broadcast on chess.com/TV and Twitch.tv/chess.

Need any more motivation to participate? The prize for first place is $5,000 (Dh18,360), second place is $3000 (Dh11,000) and third place is $1,500 (Dh5,500).

Regulations:

1.   Participation is limited to international title holders registered through www.chess.com

2.   The tournament will be played under Swiss format of 12 rounds with the top four players to qualify for a knockout stage.

3.   The knockout stage will be played over two games.

4.   There will be a half-hour break before starting the knockout stage.

5.   Time control will be three minutes + one second increment after each move.

A few more ground rules

Participants are allowed to take part in both tournaments as long as they meet the criteria.

All registrations must be done through the chess.com website.

It is forbidden to use assistance from electronic devices during the game and the match rate will be automatically checked through chess programmes via the website. Participants must check devices and internet connections before the tournament starts. All participants must be ready through the site 10 minutes before the start of the tournament.

For more information, email [e-mail]. May the best chessmaster win.