A strong lineup of experienced veterans and ambitious young contenders will compete for the championship in the 24th edition of the Dubai Open Chess Tournament, commencing on Saturday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.
The event will witness the participation of over 200 players from 28 countries, including the 2019 World Cup champion and three-time European Team Chess Championship winner Grandmaster (GM) Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, who will lead the field over the grueling nine-day competition.
GM Jahongir Vakhidov, a key figure in Uzbekistan's gold-medal performance at the 2022 World Chess Olympiad, and the young talents second-seed GM Raunak Sadhwani and third-seed Leon Luke Mendonca from India, will also be in contention, alongside more than 80 other international title holders. The total cash prizes amount to $52,000.
Najeeb Mohammed Saleh, vice chairman of the Dubai Chess and Culture Club, emphasized the event's stature as a prestigious fixture on the international chess calendar, attracting esteemed players like world number one Magnus Carlsen.
The tournament will feature two categories with Radjabov leading Category A, and 15-year-old Egyptian prodigy International Master (IM) Kevin George Micheal as the top-seed in Category B, which is open to players with an Elo rating below 2300.
This year's competition will comprise nine rounds, with Emirati International Arbiter (IA) Mahdi Abdul Rahim at the helm of the officiating team.
