5 players represent Sharjah in the “Teplice International” chess tournament

The Sharjah Cultural Chess Club is participating in the Teplice International Open Chess Championship 2026, hosted by the historic city of Teplice in the Czech Republic, which continues until June 21, as part of the technical staff’s strategy for the new season, which aims to prepare the players and raise their technical readiness through exposure to the strongest international competitions.

The club is represented in the tournament by five players: Safin Khan, Abdul Rahman Al-Taher, Hamad Essam, Zayed Al-Taher, and Salem Abdul Rahim. The players seek to provide distinguished levels and benefit from the competitive atmosphere that brings together an elite group of chess players from various countries of the world.

The first group competitions witness the participation of 81 players, which gives the club’s players a valuable opportunity to gain more technical and practical experience, enhance their international ranking, and hone their skills against various chess schools.

Dr. Khalifa Ahmed Al Mazrouei, Secretary General of the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club, said: “Our participation in the Teplice International Open Championship comes within the club’s strategy and preparation plan developed by the technical staff for the new season, which is based on providing the best competitive environment for our players by holding training camps and continuing participation in foreign tournaments, which contributes to raising their technical and mental readiness before competing in official competitions.”

He added: “We at the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club believe that the true development of a player is not achieved through training alone, but rather requires direct contact with different schools and playing styles, and facing players of various levels and classifications, which is provided by international tournaments that give our players great experience and help them gain confidence and hone their abilities in a highly competitive atmosphere.”

Al Mazrouei pointed out that these participations carry another dimension that is no less important, saying: “The benefits of such tournaments are not limited to technical contact only, but also provide players with the opportunity to gain international classification points, which contributes to improving their rankings and opens up broader horizons for them to participate in larger tournaments in the future, which is consistent with the club’s vision of building a generation capable of competing and achieving achievements.”

He concluded his statement by saying: “We are keen to implement an integrated preparation program that combines training and international competition, and we are confident that our players will benefit greatly from this participation, which will reflect positively on their technical level and on the progress of the club and UAE chess in continental and international forums.”