Palestinian wins gold in Arab Women's Blitz Chess Championship

Palestinian international champion Eman Sawan claimed the gold medal in the 2024 Arab Women’s Blitz Chess Championship, held in the Emirate of Sharjah in the UAE, Ma’an news agency reported.

Sawan secured her title with an impressive performance, accumulating 7.5 points in nine rounds. Sawan participated in the championship as part of the Palestinian national team, which also included champions Mohammed Al-Damaj, Mahmoud Dawood, Raji Sayel and Wujud Al-Natsha. They were accompanied by the Secretary of the Palestinian Chess Federation, Omar Al-Jaabari.

Commenting on the victory, Al-Jaabari said: “Congratulations to our international champion Eman Sawan.” He added that this victory serves as a reward for all federation members for their continuous work and dedication.

“The champion Sawan represents a true model of the creativity of Palestinian women in the sports field, as she has once again succeeded in raising the name of Palestine high in Arab and international championships, and this certainly comes to accumulate a series of successes and achievements that confirm and prove Palestine’s ability to compete and achieve titles locally, regionally and globally.”

Seventeen-year-old Sawan is a Palestinian who lives in Jordan as a result of Israel’s ongoing occupation.

The UAE’s Rawda Al Serkal and Anoud Issa, respectively, won second and third place.

The first day of the men’s blitz chess competitions also saw Algerian Bilal Belhassan winning gold after scoring eight points out of nine rounds. The UAE’s Salem Abdel Rahman came in second place, while the Qatari Hussein Aziz came in third place after scoring seven points.

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