Latest news with #AlSerkal
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- 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.
Observer
2 days ago
- Sport
- Observer
Rouda Al Serkal wraps up maiden Norway Chess Open campaign with hat-trick of wins
Dubai: UAE's first Woman Grandmaster ends maiden campaign in Stavanger with 3 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, showing resilience after early setbacks Stavanger, Norway, June 1 - 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 grueling 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 opening 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 super tournament 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.
Al Etihad
3 days ago
- Sport
- Al Etihad
UAE's Al Serkal ends Norway Chess Open campaign on a high
2 June 2025 00:33 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)UAE's rising chess star Rouda Al Serkal signed off with a flourish at the Norway Chess Open, winning three consecutive games to close out the prestigious tournament's General Masters category on a high in the city of 15-year-old showed remarkable resilience over nine gruelling rounds on her debut in the tournament as a wild card entry. If the column of victories are a parameter to measure success, she notched a hat-trick and yet, the Emirati Woman GrandMaster (WGM) chose to reflect on the wins that got three wins, two draws and four losses, Al Serkal's overall performance was a promising show of potential. After a frustrating start, she found her first win in the seventh round and then went on to take the next two as well. Her ability to rebound and finish strongly added a healthy dose of character and composure to her international journey.'Eventually I just found my footing,' Al Serkal said on the sidelines of the event at its conclusion on Sunday. 'I stopped overthinking, focused on basics, and trusted my training. Once that happened, things began to click.'I was honestly hoping to gain around 100 rating points,' the 15-year-old lass 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.'Fresh off a strong campaign at the Asian Individual Women's Championship in Al Ain two weeks before the tournament 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 and who finished fourth overall – didn't go to loss, despite playing with white pieces, hit her hard. '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.'Al Serkal, who celebrates her birthday next month, steadied herself with a hard-fought draw the next day 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 opening with a 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 the UAE's first Woman Grandmaster and a former world youth champion refused to give up. This time she managed to take advantage with white against Norway's home favourite Sigur Myny. She carried that momentum forward, beating Italy's Mauro Pivi, and capped her campaign off with a composed victory over France's Franck Gouanelle.'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 as well. '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 super-tournament being played concurrently in Stavanger, world No.1 and local superstar Magnus Carlsen and reigning two-time Women's World Rapid Chess champion Koneru Humpy were leading in the open and women's sections respectively after five rounds with the sixth still in progress on Sunday evening.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Khaleej Times
Dh3,000 fine, 30 days impoundment: Sharjah warns against blocking emergency vehicles
Delays can be deadly. Authorities in Sharjah are sounding the alarm over a dangerous habit putting lives at risk — blocking emergency vehicles from reaching accident scenes on time. Brigadier Ahmed Haji Al Serkal, director general of the General Department of Prevention and Community Protection, told Khaleej Times: ' Too many motorists are still failing to give way to emergency vehicles, a critical mistake that often delays rescue operations in cases of fires, drownings, and road accidents.' 'Every second counts in emergencies,' he underscored, explaining: 'People's lives depend on how fast our rescue teams can reach them. Delays can mean the difference between life and death.' Statistics from the Ministry of Interior revealed that in 2024, a total of 325 accidents across the UAE were caused by failure to give way to emergency vehicles. The highest number occurred in Dubai (160), followed by Abu Dhabi (107), Ajman (31), Sharjah (17), Ras Al Khaimah (5), Umm Al Quwain (3), and Fujairah (2). Sharjah Police have reiterated their commitment to road safety, calling on all drivers to become responsible partners in their mission. 'When you see an ambulance or a fire truck with sirens on, move aside. Don't hesitate,' Al Serkal urged. 'Help us help others; it's a shared responsibility.' Colonel Sami Al Naqbi, director general of Sharjah Civil Defence Authority, added: 'Yielding to emergency vehicles is not just a rule; it's a moral duty.' He explained that if an emergency vehicle approaches from behind at a red signal, motorists should carefully move forward into the pedestrian area without crossing the red light. 'This simple action can save lives. It's about compassion and civic sense. Every driver has a role to play,' he pointed out. Al Naqbi stressed that respecting this rule not only enhances public safety but also supports the UAE's national goals in reducing traffic-related deaths. Dh3,000 fine, 30 days vehicle impoundment Motorists who fail to yield to emergency vehicles face serious legal consequences, including a Dh3,000 fine, six black points, and vehicle impoundment for 30 days. Authorities stress these penalties apply regardless of where the emergency vehicle is approaching from – whether behind, beside, or from another lane, underscoring the need for heightened awareness and a quick response. In more critical scenarios, such as natural disasters, emergencies, or severe weather events, the law comes down even harder. Drivers who obstruct rescue efforts in these situations can be fined additional Dh1,000, four more black points, and have their vehicle impounded for 60 days, a clear message that interfering with emergency services is both dangerous and unacceptable.
Sharjah 24
20-04-2025
- Business
- Sharjah 24
SEWA expands water network with major projects
Expansion to Key Residential Areas Eng. Faisal Al Serkal, Director of the Water Department at SEWA, stated that the expansion included the completion of water networks in Al Qutaina areas 1, 2, and 4, at a total cost of AED 21 million, as well as in Basateen Al Zubair at a cost of AED 9.6 million. Additionally, the fourth phase of Hoshi area development was completed at a cost of AED 9 million. Water network upgrades were also completed in four other areas—Al Yash, Al Ramaqiya, Al Qouz, and Al Majaz 2—with an estimated cost of AED 6 million. Improved Network Efficiency and Safety Al Serkal emphasised that these projects play a crucial role in enhancing water flow and pressure throughout the network, while also helping to protect water supplies from contamination. Major Pipeline Projects Across the Emirate Among the key achievements, SEWA completed the installation of a main water pipeline to the Mleiha Dairy Farm, with a diametre of 400 mm and a length of 12,534 metres, at a cost of AED 12.7 million. Another project included the construction of a water network for the Mazaira wells, spanning 9,972 metres and costing AED 4.8 million. In addition, a transmission line from Al Rafa'a to Al Fisht was installed, with a diameter of 800 mm and a length of 2.9 km, costing AED 8.8 million. SEWA also completed a major water transmission line from the Khudaira area to the Hamda station, stretching 15 km with a diameter of 800 mm, at a total cost of AED 31 million. Advanced Materials for Long-Term Performance Al Serkal highlighted that all new pipelines are constructed using high-quality, insulated carbon steel—known for its durability, strength, and resistance to pressure and damage. These specifications ensure the long-term efficiency and reliability of the water network, while maintaining high health and safety standards.
