Doha: Competitions of the first edition of Qatar Classic Chess Cup organized by Qatar Chess Association (QCA) are due to kick off, Thursday, Aug. 29 until Sept.4, 2024, at QCA's Training Center. In a statement, QCA highlighted that 50 male and female players are set to participate in this event and is solely confined to Qatari male and female players, foremost among them the international Grandmaster Hussein Aziz, alongside a group of players from the Qatari national teams, namely Khalid Al Jumaat, Irfan Mohammed, Ibrahim Al Janahi, Fahd Al Mansouri, Abdulaziz Al Mohasina, Turki Al Kuwari, and Mohammed Al Qassabi. Female side comprises a coterie of players, namely Aisha and Ghada Al Khalifi, Rawda and Layan Al Qassabi, Fatima and Asmaa Al Hammadi, Aisha Al Naimi, and Nora Al Sulaiti. Speaking to Qatar News Agency , QCA Executive Director Hamad Al Tamimi affirmed that the event will kick off at 5pm, and while chess is surging in popularity among all, the event intends to increase this popularity among Qatar i male and female players, in addition to creating competitive atmospheres. The updated game comes as part of QCA's steadfast plans to make a paradigm shift and expand the pace of co-opting best players to represent the Qatari chess in the coming tournaments, Al Tamimi elucidated, highlighting that preparations are smoothly afoot, as all preparations to kick off the contests have been finalized, added Al Tamimi. He outlined that the tournament will be included in FIDE's agenda on yearly basis, as a commitment to enhancing the game system and building a generation that feeds national teams. Upon concluding his remarks, Al Tamimi added that all participants will have a chance to check on their performance so as to double down on their concentration to play in the upcoming Arab and Islamic tournaments. Source: Qatar News Agency