Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Sultan bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation, Chairman of Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club and Chairman of the Organising Committee, crowned the World Junior Blitz champions at a ceremony held at Danat Al Ain Resort on Friday evening, November 6. The ceremony was attended by FIDE representative Javier Ochoa de Echagüen of Spain, President of the Ibero-American Chess Federation, alongside chess federation presidents, officials and representatives of the participating delegations.
The awards ceremony marked the conclusion of the FIDE World Junior Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2026, hosted in Al Ain from November 1 to 7 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Zayed for Good Foundation and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Organised by Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club in cooperation with the UAE Chess Federation and under the supervision of FIDE, the championships brought together 185 players from 40 countries to compete for four world titles.
The medal presentations began with Chief Arbiter Dr Sultan Ali Al Taher being invited to announce the official winners of the World Junior Girls’ Blitz Championship. Valeria Kleymenova (Russia) claimed the under-20 world title and the gold medal with 10 points. Afruza Khamdamova (Uzbekistan) secured silver with 9½ points, while Veronika Iudina (Russia) took bronze with the same score.
In the World Junior Under-20 Blitz Championship, Pranav V (India), a World Junior Champion in classical chess, added the world junior blitz title to his achievements, winning gold with 10½ points. Eldiyar Orozbaev (Kyrgyzstan) finished second with 9½ points, while Robert Piliposyan (Armenia) earned bronze with the same score.
Arab players also made their mark, with talented 13-year-old Syrian Mazen Fandi finishing fourth overall with 9½ points, level on points with the silver and bronze medallists. The Indian national anthem was played following the medal presentations.
After the top three players in both sections had received their medals, the ceremony continued with the presentation of special awards. Benard Wanjala, President of the African Chess Confederation, presented the Best Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club Player award to Ghaith Saeed Al Nuaimi, who scored seven points. Zainab Darwish Almaamari received the club’s Best Female Player award with six points.
FIDE Technical Delegate Özgür Solakoğlu presented the Best Arab Player award to the UAE’s Rashid Husain Alhammadi, who finished with eight points. Dr Karim Wagih, General Supervisor of Committees at the Egyptian Chess Federation, presented the Best Arab Female Player award to the UAE’s Ahoud Eisa Mohamed, who also scored eight points.
The Best Arab Player and Best Arab Female Player awards were introduced to celebrate Al Ain’s designation as the Arab Capital of Tourism for 2026 and to encourage Arab talent to compete on the world stage. Other special award recipients included the UAE’s Mariam Khalifa AlQubaisi, who won the Best Under-12 Female Player award with six points.
The event marked the third world championship hosted by Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club in the city, following the 2012 World Cities Chess Championship for the Sheikh Zayed Cup and the 2013 World Youth Chess Championships. It continued Al Ain’s tradition of staging international and continental events, further strengthening its position as a destination for sport, tourism and culture.
Guided by its vision of being “a global community sports institution”, the club continues to combine the organisation of major championships with success at the highest competitive level. Its achievements include winning the Asian Club Championship in 2008 and the World Rapid Team Championship in 2024.