Online preliminary play starts Sunday, 4 October 2026. More than 10,000 students from 6,157 schools and 211 cities across 21 Arab countries are expected to take part in the second Hamda bint Taryam Arab Schools Chess Championship. Sharjah24, Albayan and Fana News report the same figures.
The in-person finals will take place in Sharjah on 2 and 3 November. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 3 November. Sharjah gets the finals.
The online competition opens on 4 October 2026, with the in-person finals scheduled for 2-3 November in Sharjah.
Online entry leads to Sharjah finals
The preliminary stage will take place on lichess.org. Schools and students can register until the competition begins. Players will compete in under-7, under-9, under-11 and under-17 divisions, with separate competitions for boys and girls.
Total cash prizes amount to 60,000 dirhams. Albayan and Fana News report that organisers will also award trophies, medals and certificates of appreciation.
Tarem Matar Tarem said the turnout reflects the initiative's success and could help establish it as an annual platform for identifying chess talent among Arab school students.
A school competition with regional reach
Sharjah Cultural Chess Club is organising the championship under the patronage of Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Humaid Al Qasimi, president of the Arab Chess Federation. The club is working with the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Education, the Arab Chess Federation and the UAE chess federation. An earlier school-sport report covered the UAE School Games programme.
Tareem Tareem chairs the organising committee, and Najla Abdullah Al Shamsi is vice-chair. Dr Maliha Al Mazmi leads the executive committee, with Amina Al Mulla as deputy. Abdullah Murad heads refereeing. Abdulkarim Al Marzouqi leads the technical committee, and Noor Al Balushi oversees media. Mada Munther Yazji handles student registration. Adeeb Zahrawi is general coordinator, and Abdulqader Reis is tournament director.
Tareem said the turnout builds on the first edition and reflects growing interest in school chess across the Arab world. He called the competition a way to identify promising players and bring chess to more schools.
The event's reach is clear. Thousands of pupils can enter through online preliminary play, and the finals bring the competition to Sharjah. The format gives schools across the region a way to take part in chess.
