Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi has been named as Man of the Year in the 2014 Asian Chess Excellence Awards.
The Ruler of Sharjah was awarded the honour by the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) at a ceremony held in Al Ain on Tuesday after opening the world’s largest chess club – the state-of-the-art facility at Sharjah Chess Club in March last year.
The conference was chaired by Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa, the ACF president, and was attended by Casto Abundo, vice president, and Hisham Ali Al Taher, the secretary general.
Speaking at the conference, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa said that the ACF was keen to honour the game’s most distinguished players at their annual awards.
Dr Sheikh Sultan was named Man of the Year for his “generous donation to build the world’s largest chess club, and for his wise vision of seeing chess as a means to build nations and inspire the youth”.
The Sharjah Chess Club covers an area of approximately 34,000 cubic feet, including the main hall which can accommodate up to 500 players.
The complex has hosted several regional and international championships since its opening.
Other winners included India’s chess Grandmaster and world champion, Viswanathan Anand, who won the best player award in the men’s section, while China’s Hou Yifan, took the women’s honours for winning the Women’s World Chess Championship.
China also collected both prizes in the men’s and women’s best- team categories.
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