30 Indians to participate in Abu Dhabi Chess event

Abu Dhabi - 500 entries received out of which 370 are rated players

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi felt proud that 2.6 million Indians live and work here in the UAE, he would be even more pleased to know that 30 of the brightest minds from India will follow his visit to the country.
India is sending the largest contingent of 30 players for the 22nd edition of the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival to be held in the Capital from August 23 to 31.
India's No.2 Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika, with a FIDE rating of 2508, is among some of the top players who will take part in this annual event. Other Indians include Grandmasters Abhijeet Gupta and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Sandipan Chanda, International Master Eesha Karavade and Women Grandmaster Swati Ghate
British Chess champion David Wei Liang Howell, with a rating of 2712, is the top seed and the field also includes Uzbek prodigy Nodirbek Abdusattorov. FIDE Master Abdusattorov could be in line to becoming the youngest Grandmaster in the history of the sport.
The 10-year-old had defeated two Grandmasters Andrey Zhigalko (2600) and Rustam Khusnutdinov (2495) in the Tashkent Open in May last year. The 2012 World Youth Under-8 champion has a rating of 2432.
Hosts UAE's challenge will be led by Grandmaster Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh, who recently won the Asian Blitz Chess Championship in Al Ain. Saleh has a rating of 2615. The other UAE players are FIDE Masters Saeed Ishaq, Khouri Ibrahim Mohammed, Sultan Ibrahim and Khouri Ahmed Abbas as well as Ahmed Fareed and Zayed Ali Al Hamed. "We have had a great tournament for 22 years. Before we had a few Grandmasters, but now, the numbers have increased. We have 65 Grandmasters for this edition and 25 GMs on the waiting list. David Howell is the top seed and he will be playing in the tournament for the first time. The UAE's Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh will lead our challenge," Hussain Abdulla Khouri, Chairman of the Organising Committee, said at a press conference on Monday.
The tournament consists of six categories - Masters, Open, Juniors (Under-16), Blitz, Homeland Protector's tournament, Family Team as well as a simultaneous exhibition, which will be held by a renowned international Grandmaster.
The Festival, which carries a total prize money of Dh250,000, has received 500 entries of which 370 are rated players. Close to 150 will be participating in the Masters, 210 in the Open and 130 in the Juniors.
"We are proud to have organised the tournament for 22 years. This year, the tournament has become bigger and better. We have 500 players and 370 rated players. India have sent their largest contingent which is 30. They have been participating in large numbers over the years and it has been increasing over the years. We have 65 GMs and 120 players who have won titles, taking part," Ismail Ibrahim Al Khouri, the Tournament Director, said.
james@khaleejtimes.com