Checkmate: Dubai makes the right moves as chess hotbed. Dubai Chess and Culture Club employs world-class facilities and top coaches as the region’s premier chess training ground.
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00:00There are more than half a billion people who play chess around the world.
00:12In the UAE, chess is likewise a thriving sport with UAE and expatriate clubs organizing various
00:18chess tournaments and events every month.
00:20Dubai, in fact, remains a hotbed of chess in the region, having hosted some of the most
00:25prestigious chess tournaments in the world, including the World Chess Olympiad and the
00:29World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, as well as Arab Championships.
00:33One of the oldest and most popular board games, chess is played by two opponents who each
00:38have 16 pieces to maneuver on a 64-square checkered board.
00:42The ultimate goal is to checkmate the opposing king.
00:45Dubai Chess Club is one of the institutions spearheading UAE's efforts to promote the
00:49sport and develop new generations of chess masters.
00:53The club has one of the best training facilities in the world.
00:56Dubai Chess Club has been established since 1981 and since establishment they played a
01:01major role in promoting the game.
01:04We do host tournaments on a regular basis and that attracted a lot of people to try
01:09the game on a competitive level as well.
01:11We are open for all nationalities.
01:13What we try to do is nurture all talents, whether they are Emiratis or non-Emiratis,
01:17to be part of this community and to be able to spread the game and play in big tournaments
01:23and achieve medals for their countries.
01:25But of course there is also a big focus and big responsibility we have to nurture Emirati
01:30talents and I can say that we succeeded in that.
01:33The club is home to amateur and professional chess players.
01:36It helps both Emirati and expatriate players to develop their chess skills.
01:41To bring chess to the grassroots, the club also organizes seminars and workshops in different
01:45schools and companies.
01:47What Dubai Chess Club does is they try to attract young talents, nurture them, bring
01:53them on the competitive level so they can play for the national team and bring medals
01:57and achievements for the country.
02:01We don't only provide such services for the Emirati people, the club is also open for
02:06other nationalities as well.
02:08Some schools, we help them to have their own chess clubs and for some others what we do
02:13is we send our coaches to train the students while they are having a chess session or any
02:19sports session over there.
02:21As a mind sport, chess is a great way to stimulate the brain and cultivate mental alertness,
02:26which chess enthusiasts say is very helpful in their daily lives.
02:31This is also the reason why many parents send their children to attend chess classes.
02:35Chess is developing intelligence in kids and many benefits kids can have from chess.
02:41They can develop quicker.
02:43You know the chess game is like a life, everything you have in chess game you have in life.
02:49So kids without knowledge about it, they are learning some things through chess.
02:54There's even a lot of psychology in chess which is very interesting actually because
02:58sometimes the best move theoretically is not the best move in practice because of time
03:04limits, because of your opponent, because of your result in the tournament so far.
03:10So it has a lot of complex things that are most often applicable in real life, you know
03:17practicality, the vast number of possibilities that can happen on a chess board.
03:22I think we should start from schools first, encourage families.
03:27Most families they don't prefer their kids to play chess because there is like no good
03:32future for chess.
03:34They prefer like football for example, but actually chess improve our mind and improve
03:39our thinking and even improve our result a lot in university and school.
03:45Chess also stands out as one of the few sports that allows mixed gender competitions and
03:50where both young and old can compete against each other.
03:53It's one of a kind sport where age or physical limitations are never a hindrance.
03:58Irish Eden Balieza for Golf News.