Oman Chess Committee (OCC) is keen to establish a strong national chess team with good ranking players for the upcoming international competitions.
The seventh national chess team tournament is one step towards the OCC’s plans to establish a strong team. As many as 65 players are taking part in the under way tournament. The seven days event registered participation of many top national team players including Ameen al Ansi, Mohammed al Mashaiki and Omran al Mamri.
At the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, the competitions began on January 25 and the first round of the tournament registered strong matches as all the participants are seeking to secure top places and represent the Sultanate team in the upcoming regional and international championships. The matches of the championship is played under Swiss system and comprises nine rounds with two rounds daily.
In some results, Salim al Amri, who is ranked 1,921, beat Aziz al Farsi, Mohammed al Mashaiki outplayed Saif al Harrasi and Said Fadhil defeated Omar al Mamri. Oman’s junior national team players also are taking part.
Former Oman player Ameen al Ansi held a draw with junior national player Hamood al Easari. Another junior player Anas al Darwashi also drew with Musallam al Mamari.
The Oman Chess Committee, the organisers of the tournament, is keen to select the best players in the Sultanate. The selection process will be done in different stages starting with picking the top ten players in the first phase. In case of absence of any players, the committee will select the player who positioned in the waiting list. The later stage will include a special competition among the ten qualified to finalise the national team with the best five players.
Presence of junior players and the experienced national team players are making the tournament a perfect trial for the new Oman national team. It will also be a best platform for the national team players to prepare well for the Asian Amateur Championship to be held in Muscat in April 2020.
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