UAE's Al Serkal finishes strong in Norway Chess Open debut
UAE's rising chess star, Rouda Al Serkal, closed her debut at the Norway Chess Open's grandmaster category with three wins, finishing with 4 points from nine rounds.
The 15-year-old showed resilience after a difficult start, bouncing back from early losses to defeat Norway's Sigur H. Myny, Italy's Mauro Pivi, and France's Franck Gouanelle in her final three games.
'It was tough to start like that and then mentally recover,' Rouda said of her opening-round loss to Swedish Grand Master Platon Galperin. 'But I knew I had to regroup quickly.'
Her early rounds included two draws and four defeats, including a loss to Spain's Lucia Follana Albelda after a strong start with the Caro-Kann. Despite the setbacks, she made her way to victory.
'Eventually I just found my footing,' she said. 'I stopped overthinking, trusted my training and things began to click.'
Fresh off a strong campaign at the Asian Individual Women's Championship in Al Ain and a productive training block, Al Serkal entered the tournament with confidence.
As the first Emirati woman to compete in the GM category at the event, her performance marks a milestone for UAE chess.
'Ending with three wins felt really special,' Rouda said. 'I'm leaving stronger than I arrived, even if I could have done better.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
2 hours ago
- Al Etihad
UAE spearheading chess movement in the Gulf: FIDE in Norway
4 June 2025 23:49 STAVANGER (ALETIHAD)The UAE is fast solidifying its position as a global chess hub, the topmost two officials of the world chess body have President Arkady Dvorkovich and his deputy Viswanathan Anand have praised the dynamic growth of the sport in the Emirates while speaking at the sidelines of the Norway Chess Open on has already spoke to Aletihad about the UAE's organisational capabilities and major plans for the sport, when it was decided to award the 2028 Chess Olympiad to Abu Dhabi as UAE's chess ecosystem has seen remarkable growth, with established tournaments like the Dubai Open, Sharjah Open, and the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival attracting global talent."The UAE likes to be at the centre of many things," said Anand, a five-time world champion and the Deputy President of FIDE, while talking to media on the second rest day of the Norway tournament, featuring world's top players such as Magnus Carlsen and reigning world champion D Gukesh. "They've been very active in chess, hosting events across the Emirates – Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah – and playing an important role.'Players love coming here, and the [UAE] national federation is very active – always thinking of new ways to promote the game,' he said. The UAE has also hosted many major events at the continental level such as Asian Individual Chess Championship last month in Al Ain, the home of the Asian Chess Federation president, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Shakhbout Al also recalled his personal connection to Dubai's chess scene. 'When I was younger, tournaments in the Emirates were some of the most anticipated. The 1986 Olympiad in Dubai was a special moment – even then, Dubai was a fascinating place. I remember being amazed [later] by an ice rink in the desert [Ski Dubai], something unheard of at the time. From my first Olympiad in '86 to today, it has always been a special chess destination – and it just keeps getting better.'Abu Dhabi hosting the Chess Olympiad again [in the UAE] after 42 years shows how much the country and the region have embraced chess. It's a thrilling prospect for players and fans alike. It shows how far the UAE has come as a chess destination.' Dvorkovich also gave his nod: 'It's a huge milestone.'While on Dubai, the FIDE boss recalled the 2021 World Championship contest between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi during the Dubai Expo 2020 when UAE demonstrated their ability to elevate chess into a global spectacle. "Dubai made it an international event, not just a local competition – that's what the city does best."And for both, the emergence of 15-year-old Rouda AlSerkal as the Gulf's first Woman Grandmaster has become a symbol of the UAE's chess ambitions. The Abu Dhabi resident's recent strong performances in international competitions, including in the open category of Norway Chess as a wild card, has many sit up and take notice."It's a wonderful surprise to see a young talent like Rouda breaking barriers," said Anand. "Her success has the potential to inspire countless girls across the region. It could be a game-changer for chess in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Dvorkovich also noted the strides of development being made in Qatar while looking at the broader picture in the Gulf region. Apart from hosting the Qatar Masters tournament, this December, Doha will host the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships for the first time. 'This is huge for the region,' Dvorkovich said. 'More wild cards will be given to players from the Gulf, and local spectators will experience world-class chess in a spectacular venue.' Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
UAE's first Woman Grandmaster ends maiden campaign in Stavanger with 3 wins
UAE's rising chess star Rouda Al Serkal signed off her maiden appearance at the Norway Chess Open with a flourish, winning three consecutive games to close out the prestigious tournament's General Masters (GM) category on a high. The 15-year-old showed remarkable resilience over nine gruelling rounds, bouncing back from early struggles to finish with a total of 4 points overall - a performance that not only demonstrated her talent but also her ability to adapt and learn against more experienced opponents. Fresh off a strong campaign at the Asian Individual Women's Championship in Al Ain two weeks before the tournament in Stavanger and a productive training block, Al Serkal came into the tournament with confidence. However, the opening round on May 26 against Swedish Grandmaster Platon Galperin - one of the tournament's highest-rated players in the open category who finished fourth overall - didn't go to plan. Playing white, Rouda fought valiantly for 56 moves but eventually had to concede. The loss hit her hard, especially as it came in the very first round of her maiden appearance in the GM category. "It was tough to start like that and then mentally recover from there - I was disappointed,' Rouda admitted. "I didn't feel like I was getting my game right, and it was demoralising to lose after such a long fight. But I knew I had to regroup quickly.' The next day, Rouda, who turns 16 next month, steadied herself with a hard-fought draw against American Luke Leon Robin Anatol before suffering another defeat in round three to Spain's Lucia Follana Albelda. "That was even more crushing as I had her completely in my grasp after openening with Caro Kahn advanced variation but somehow I just failed to capitalise.' Two more challenging days followed with a draw against Mexico's Jan Enrique Zepeda Berlanga and losses to Norwegians Ask Amundsen (playing white) and Astor Moe Maurstad (playing black). But Al Serkal, the UAE's first Woman Grandmaster and a former world youth champion, refused to let the early setbacks define her debut in Stavanger. Her persistence began to pay off in round seven, when she notched her first win - a confident performance against Norway's Sigur H. Myny while playing white. "Eventually I just found my footing,' she said. "I stopped overthinking, focused on basics, and trusted my training. Once that happened, things began to click.' She carried that momentum forward, scoring her second consecutive win on May 30 against Italian Mauro Pivi, and capped her campaign on Sunday with a composed victory over France's Franck Gouanelle - her third straight win. With three wins, two draws and four losses, Al Serkal's overall performance was a promising show of potential. Competing in a field filled with seasoned international players, she not only held her own but ended with a strong closing statement although she would have liked to finish better overall. "I was honestly hoping to gain around 100 rating points,' Rouda said. "Most of the rounds I lost, I was either winning or had a clear advantage but lost my way in the end. That's what frustrated me the most.' Yet as the first Emirati woman to play in the Norway Chess Open's GM category, her participation alone marks a milestone for UAE chess. But her ability to rebound and finish strong added a powerful narrative of character and composure to her international journey. "It was a learning experience more than anything else,' Al Serkal said. "And I'm proud I stayed with it. Ending with three wins felt really special - I feel like I'm still leaving stronger than I arrived although I could have done much better.' Tournament founder Kjell Madland praised her spirited finish, saying: "It is exactly this kind of story that reinforces Norway Chess as a truly global platform. To have young talents like Rouda travel all the way from the UAE to compete at this level adds richness and reach to what we're building here in Stavanger.' Meanwhile, in the elite Norway Chess supertournament being played at the SpareBank 1 SR-Bank in Stavanger, world number one Magnus Carlsen and reigning two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion Koneru Humpy remain in close pursuit of the lead in the men's and the women's sections respectively. Final rounds take place later this week.
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Team Emirates-XRG makes history at Giro d'Italia
Crossing the finish line in Rome amongst the peloton, Isaac del Toro brought the 2025 Giro d'Italia to a historic close for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG - placing second overall on his debut. The Mexican cyclist becomes the second-youngest podium finisher in race history and the first from his country to ever win the young rider's classification. In fact, Del Toro is the first Mexican to ever wear the Maglia Bianca, adding this to a long list of accomplishments he has achieved over the last three weeks. It has been a stellar race for both the 21-year-old and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates, all of whom took to the podium in Rome to celebrate winning the team classification. The Emirati squad end the first Grand Tour of the season with two memorable stage victories, taken by Juan Ayuso and Del Toro. The first, won by Ayuso on stage 7, saw the Spaniard triumph on the race's first summit finish, with his Mexican teammate crossing the line in second. It was a maiden Grand Tour stage victory for Ayuso, with Del Toro following suit in the third week. Through the next 11 days of racing, Del Toro came of age on the grandest stage, riding with a maturity beyond his years to have Mexico dreaming of its first Grand Tour success. In surpassing Fausto Coppi's record from the 1940 Giro d'Italia, Del Toro became the youngest rider in history to wear the Maglia Rosa for 11 consecutive stages. Ending the race with Del Toro on the podium, Brandon McNulty in 9th, victory in the team classification and a credible 7th place for Filippo Baroncini on stage 21, UAE Team Emirates-XRG can be proud of everything it has achieved between the Grande Partenza in Albania and Sunday's final stage in Rome.
