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Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Grebnev wins 25th Dubai Open Chess title
After a month of non-stop competition - playing one tournament after another across three cities in the UAE with little rest in between - teenage Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev finally hit his stride in Dubai. Needing only a draw to secure the title, the 18-year-old Russian stayed composed despite an opening surprise by his opponent to calmly collect the half point he needed to clinch the championship in the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament on Wednesday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev drew his final-round game against GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia to finish with seven points in the nine-round tournament on account of five wins, four draws, and no losses. While he has won the Asian Junior Championship twice in 2023 and 2024 and was the 2023 U18 World Youth champion, Grebnev considers the Dubai Open as the biggest win in his young career. 'I am very pleased that I managed to show a good performance and win the tournament,' said Grebnev after the title-clinching draw. 'This is my first time winning a tournament of this level.' Playing white against Sargsyan, Grebnev said he was surprised to see the Caro-Kann defense on the board, which he countered with the Two Knights' Attack. 'Before the game, I decided that I had to play hard (despite needing only a draw to win the tournament),' he said. 'My opponent surprised me in the opening by defending with the Caro-Kann, but I responded well and the position quickly equalised and he offered a draw.' The Dubai Open was Grebnev's fourth tournament in a row - and third successive event within a month in the UAE. He played at the Asian Men's Championship in Al Ain and the Sharjah Masters last month with uninspiring results, but Dubai proved to be the turning point. 'I feel tired,' he said of playing high-pressure games almost every day for a month. 'But I'm very happy with the results of the tournament.' To celebrate, Grebnev said he plans to explore some of Dubai's must-visit spots with his mother Helena, who accompanied him during the Dubai leg of his four-week campaign in the UAE. 'I just want to take a break from the tension,' he said. 'This is my first time in Dubai and I was planning to go to the Dubai Mall tomorrow. After Dubai, I plan to rest for a week and then I'll play in the Higher League of the Russian Championship.' GM Alan Pichot of Spain also finished the tournament with seven points after defeating Iranian prodigy GM Sina Movahed, but settled for second place with an inferior tiebreak score, which calculated the average rating of a player's opponents. Russia's GM Ivan Zemlyanskii, who defeated Vietnam's IM Pham Tran Gia Phuc, Sargsyan, and GM Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia, who won over India's GM Bharath Subramaniyam, scored 6.5 points each and finished third to fifth, respectively.
Arab News
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Pakistan's Noor Zaman revives family legacy with epic Under-23 world squash championship comeback
PESHAWAR: Noor Zaman found himself on the brink of defeat after losing the first two games to his Egyptian counterpart in the final of the Under-23 Men's World Squash Championship in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi this month. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The 21-year-old faced a moment of truth in front of a roaring home crowd and decided he could not lose the world championship Pakistan was hosting for the first time in 30 years and what followed was an epic comeback from Zaman to beat Egypt's Karim El Turky 3-2. His victory was not just a personal milestone but a symbolic moment for Pakistani squash, a sport once dominated by legends like Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, and Zaman's own grandfather, Qamar Zaman. 'When I got 2-0 down, only one thing was coming to my mind that 'a world championship is being held in Pakistan after three decades, the whole crowd is sitting here to support me, if I lose, I will regret it a lot',' Zaman recalled. 'I thought to myself that 'all the hard work I have done in the past three, four months to prepare for this tournament, I should go to the court and fight for every single point.' Thank God, I fought for every point and Allah made me the world champion.' Zaman, who hails from the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, says for him, squash was more of an obligation than a passion. 'When I was young, I used to be taken for playing squash [by my grandfather]. I was not as passionate in childhood,' he said. But with time, the sport became his calling. Zaman's ascent began with two consecutive Asian Junior Championship titles last year, followed by a silver medal at the Asian Games after graduating to the senior category. The Under-23 World Squash Championship saw participation from 32 countries, with Zaman defeating opponents from Kuwait, Poland, France, and Malaysia on his path to the final. Zaman defeated 3-0 the players he had narrowly contested against as a junior, which was a testament to his growing dominance in the game. His final opponent, Egypt's El Turky, pushed him to the limit, but Zaman staged a spirited comeback, cheered on by an electrifying crowd in Karachi. But there has hardly been any official recognition of Zaman's feat. 'Everyone congratulated me — government officials, seniors, everyone — but no one has yet invited me for any honors,' he shared. The 21-year-old remains grounded, driven by the legacy of his grandfather who continues to nurture talent in Peshawar by organizing regular tournaments. 'This is our family game and all the players emerging from Peshawar are emerging because of him, because of his support,' Noor said. 'He organizes 2-3 tournaments every month, which gives motivation to kids and they improve further.' Zaman's victory in the Under-23 championship has earned him a direct wildcard entry to next month's Senior World Championship in Chicago. The young Pakistani squash star is hopeful of not just carrying forward his family's legacy, but also helping his country reclaim its former glory in the sport. 'God willing, now, I am going to play the Senior World Championship, [and] the goal is to become the Senior World Champion,' he said.
