Strong start to 31st Sharjah International Chess Championship

February 25, 2026 / 12:02 AM

Sharjah 24: The 31st Sharjah International Chess Championship has begun in typically competitive fashion, with 180 players from a wide range of countries taking their seats at Sharjah Cultural Chess Club. The tournament is organised by the club under the patronage of the Sharjah Sports Council, and it remains one of the most established fixtures on the regional calendar.

The opening ceremony was attended by Taryam Matar Taryam, Chairman of the club; Nasser Abdullah bin Amer, Acting Secretary-General of the UAE Chess Federation; Imran Abdullah, Vice-Chairman of the club; and Sultan Al Taher, Technical Director of the UAE Chess Federation, alongside board members and several leading figures from the local sporting community.

The early rounds have already produced a tightly packed leaderboard. After three games, 24 players share the top spot with maximum points. Among them are Egyptian grandmaster Ahmed Adly, Iranian grandmaster Pouria Darin; and Moldovan grandmaster Viorel Iordachescu.

Salem Abdulrahman, the star of the UAE national team and representative of Sharjah Cultural Chess Club, leads a strong home presence alongside them. Fujairah's Ammar Al Sadrani is also among the frontrunners, along with Abdulrahman Al Taher, Ahmed Fareed, Anoud Eisa and Zayed Sultan Al Taher.

Four players have collected two and a half points from two wins and a draw. Seventy-four competitors sit on two points after three rounds; six players have one and a half points, and 39 have one point as the championship begins to take shape.