Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Chess Federation will be hosting the 3rd edition of the Qatar Masters International Open Chess Championship 2023, which includes an elite group of the most prominent world champions, at the Lusail Sports Hall from October 10-20.
On Tuesday, Mohamed Al Mudahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation revealed details about the event to the local media emphasizing that the federation was set to host an exciting and exceptional event.
Qatar had first held the inaugural edition of the the tournament in 2015 and the second edition in 2025.
“We are happy that the tournament is back and we are also happy to see all the great interest in participation among players and of fans. We have Magnus Carlsen, the world number one and five-time world champion and many other top players participating. We are in the final stage of preparations and a full fledged staging after the coronavirus pandemic,” said Al Mudahka.
He added: “Our second edition was held after seven years and following the pandemic it was not easy to organize the tournament at this scale since we didn’t know what we would face regarding the organization. Things have changed since 2015 but we are confident of hosting a great event.
“The interest is massive from Qatar and internationally for the tournament and we hope to have and exciting and memorable event.”
As many as 250 players (male and female), representing 42 countries will be seen in action at the Qatar Masters including 62 Grandmasters and players from 16 Arab countries. India has the largest participation of 76 male and female players.
Al Mudahka informed: “We received 400 applications for participation in the tournament but the registration was closed at 250 players. Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, ranked first in the world and five-time world champion, will be at the head of the participating stars, as he is making his third appearance after having previously participated in the tournament along with American Hikaru Nakamura, ranked third in the world, Dutchman Anish Giri, ranked seventh in the world, and his compatriot Jorden van Forrest. In addition to Indian Dommaraju Gukesh, ranked eighth in the world, and the Iranian Parham Maqsoudlou. We expect the competition to be strong.”
He continued: “The competitions will also witness the participation of the world champion in blitz chess. Kazakh International Master and Woman Grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva will be in action in the women’s competition which includes 16 players, alongside ndian International Master and Woman Grandmaster Ramesh Vaishali and her compatriot Vantika Agrawal.
As for the most prominent Arab players, Al Mudahka said that Qatari challenge will be headed by Hussein Aziz, besides Bassem Amin of Egypt and Salem Abdulrahman from the United Arab Emirates while Egyptian Bassem Amin will miss the tournament due to his participation in Sweden.
The QCF president said that many players will be arriving in Doha from Hangzhou, China, after the ongoing Asian Games while the other players will join following the European Club Championship currently being held in Albania, as well as the American Championship.
He said: “We faced some challenges regarding the participation of some of the ranked players, but everyone was keen to confirm their participation in this tournament in light of the presence of the top-seeded world players.”
He stressed that the strong relationship between the Qatar Chess Federation and the Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen was one of the most important reasons for his participation, in addition to the organization, which undoubtedly played a major role in his keenness to be present in the tournament for a third time.
He further explained that Qatar will be represented by 10 players, noting that organizing the tournament came late in order to provide the opportunity for many players who did not have the opportunity to participate in the Qatar Masters because of their classification.
Al Mudahka considered that hosting the championship at the Lusail Sports Hall represents an important addition because it is considered one of the most distinguished venues in the world.
He said that entry for spectators will be free and some accompanying events will be held on the sidelines of the tournament, and everyone is obsessed with the continuation of the tournament.
The tournament was open to every player with ELO rating of 2300 and above. The prize fund equals over $110,000, with $25,000 for the winner.
Prizes for the best female and Arabic players will also be given in each category.
