Doha: The Qatar Chess Association (QCA) announced Tuesday the organization of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum Rapid Chess Championship for U-12 players, scheduled for Thursday. The event is part of a series of promotional tournaments ahead of the FIDE World Chess Championship, which Qatar will host this December.
According to Qatar News Agency, the tournament will feature 40 players of both genders, competing in a rapid chess format using the Swiss system. Winners will be identified after five rounds. This championship will draw a wide range of participants of both genders from various nationalities as part of a series of tournaments ahead of the World Championship in December. It is part of the QCA's plan to realize numerous objectives, primarily the promotion of this sport among the community, Executive Director of QCA Hamad Al Tamimi stated.
He affirmed that the association looks forward to forging further collaboration with all public agencies and institutions, something that will help QCA achieve its vision, advance the sport, and build a significant base. Al Tamimi further outlined that such tournaments intend to create a generation capable of feeding national teams with players, as an opportunity to explore further talents to be ready for representing chess in foreign championships.
Finally, Al Tamimi praised the Museum-QCA partnership in organizing this tournament and backing the efforts of encouraging this kind of sport among various members of the community. Director of the Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum 3-2-1, Abdullah Yousef Al Mulla, said he is excited to have this partnership as an incredible opportunity for all folks to practice chess in a museum that showcases the most significant sports artifacts.
The museum prioritizes sports that are part and parcel of the Qatari culture. Chess is a kind of sport that has massively evolved in recent years and earned wide interest through holding numerous major tournaments and attracting world stars to Doha, Al Mulla noted. He revealed that there is great public anticipation for the World Cup in Qatar, pointing out that the museum merges sport with art and culture through outstanding interactive exhibitions that provide visitors with a rich experience.
Al Mulla affirmed that this event has been the corollary of the museum's mission to share the global and Qatari sport story in an attractive way to inspire the community and encourage the public to pivot toward sport and physical activity.