Qatar Chess Association's (QCA) 1st Qatar Chess Cup 2024 wrapped up Tuesday at Qatar Training Center. In its inaugural edition, the Qatar Chess Cup included 50 Qatari players. In the male category, international master Hussein Aziz won the title (7 points), while Qatar's national team player Mohammed Al Qassabi came 2nd (5.5 points), followed by his teammate Irfan Mohammed in 3rd place (5 points). Hamad Al Kuwari came 4th (4.5 points) while his teammate Mohammed Al Subaie placed 5th. In the female category, Qatari national team player Ghada Al Khalifi claimed the title (6 points), outperforming her teammate Aisha Al Khalifi by a move difference, while Lian Al Qassabi came 3rd (5 points), followed by Rawda Al Qassabi (4.5 points). Fatima Al Hammadi came 5th (4 points), ahead by a move difference of Noura Al Sulaiti who came 6th and Ghalia Al Nuaimi who placed 7th. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), QCA President Mohammed Al Mudhahka expressed his great happiness with organizing the 1st Qatar Ches s Cup 2024 which witnessed a large participation of players from Qatar's national teams. He said that QCA will continue to organize the event to study the level of play of the national team ahead of their participation in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Hungary from September 10 to 23, as well as the Arab Championship in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 6. Al Mudhahka stated that the aim of holding the Qatar Chess Cup is to uplift the popularity of chess among Qataris of both genders and to provide a competitive space for players, in addition to being able to discover and select the best chess players that can represent Qatar in international events. According to QCA, the Qatar Chess Cup will be held annually as part of its calendar with the aim of strengthening the chess scene in Qatar and building a generation that supports national teams. Source: Qatar News Agency