Five Lead the Open in Al Ain, Roebers Half a Point Off in the Girls Section

The fourth FIDE World Junior Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships opened in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, and five players in the Open section and three in the Girls section finished the first day with perfect scores after three rapid rounds.

The event brings together 150 players from 40 countries at the Danat Al Ain Resort and runs from November 1 to 7. It is organised by the Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club with FIDE and the UAE Chess Federation, under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The leaders

The Open leaders on 3/3 are Artem Uskov (playing under the FIDE flag), India’s Pranav V and Praneeth Vuppala, Kazakhstan’s Satbek Akhmedinov, and Artiom Stribuk.

In the Girls section, Kazakhstan’s Zarina Nurgaliyeva, Valeria Kleymenova (FIDE flag) and Uzbekistan’s Umida Omonova share first, also on 3/3.

Half a point back in the Girls section sit Eline Roebers of the Netherlands, Aliaksandra Tarasenka of Belarus, and Marina Kuznetsova and Margarita Bendik, both playing under the FIDE flag.

Home players

Among the UAE players, Hamad Essa Al-Blooshi and Husain Ali Alhammadi each have 2 points in the Open. Rouda Essa Alserkal has 1½ in the Girls section.

Format and schedule

The rapid part is nine rounds and finishes on November 4. The blitz events follow on November 5 and 6. Because the rapid and blitz are separate competitions, a lead built in the rapid does not carry over to the blitz days.

The ceremony

Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Sultan bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation and chairman of the organising club, welcomed the players. He spoke of bringing young talent together through competition, friendship and the values of concentration, discipline and sound decision-making.

He also noted that the championships coincide with Al Ain’s designation as the Arab Capital of Tourism for 2026. That gives visiting delegations a chance to see the city’s heritage and landmarks.

Javier Ochoa, FIDE Honorary Vice-President and President of the Spanish Chess Federation, spoke on behalf of FIDE. Sheikh Sultan then declared the event open and made ceremonial first moves on the top Open and Girls boards.

Other guests included African Chess Confederation President Bernard Wanjala and José Antonio Carrillo Pujol, President of the Confederation of Chess for the Americas. Hulkar Tohirjonova, President of FIDE’s Central Asian Zone, and FIDE Technical Delegate Özgür Solakoğlu also attended.