Historic Jeddah came alive with an exciting atmosphere of chess competition throughout August, as the Saudi Chess Federation staged a series of distinguished events on the sidelines of Jeddah Season 2026, featuring a select group of players from various countries around the world.
Through the continued efforts of the Saudi Chess Federation, headed by Dr. Mohammed Al-Masoudi, the Jeddah Season Chess Championship achieved remarkable success, both in terms of the highly competitive matches and the strong level of public engagement with the tournament.
The Jeddah Season Chess Championship is considered one of the key events on the Saudi Chess Federation’s tournament calendar this year, which features 33 championships across different regions of the Kingdom and for all categories. This reflects the growing popularity of chess and contributes to discovering promising talents capable of representing Saudi chess at international competitions.
Before the end of the first week of August, the excitement intensified in Historic Jeddah with two tournaments held as qualifiers for the Jeddah Season Chess Championship. Al-Thaqafa Square in Historic Jeddah hosted the Jeddah Open Championship, which served as a qualifying event for the Jeddah Season Chess Championship finals.
The first tournament attracted 27 players. Adham Mohammed claimed first place and a prize of SAR 1,500, while Hisham Abdulrahman finished second and received SAR 1,000. Emad Khayat secured third place and a prize of SAR 500.
The excitement continued at Al-Thaqafa Square with a second tournament held on August 9, featuring 24 players. Hisham Abdulrahman took first place and received SAR 1,500, while Adham Mohammed finished second and earned SAR 1,000. Mahmoud Ali claimed third place and a prize of SAR 500.
The Jeddah Season Chess Championship 2026 concluded two weeks of excitement and intense competition involving more than 400 players from various countries around the world, in an atmosphere that reflected the growing popularity of chess in the Kingdom and helped strengthen the tournament’s social and cultural presence.
Egyptian player Ahmed Adly was crowned champion, taking first place and a prize of SAR 20,000. Georgian player Sebashvili finished second and received SAR 10,000, while Egyptian player Hisham Abdulrahman secured third place and earned SAR 5,000.
For his part, the President of the Saudi Chess Federation congratulated the winners of the Jeddah Season Championship and praised the high standards displayed throughout the competition from the opening day. He also thanked the Kataya Association for its constructive cooperation with the Federation, which contributes to achieving further success in the development of mind sports across the Kingdom.
Al-Masoudi added that staging the Jeddah Season Chess Championship at Al-Thaqafa Square in the heart of Historic Jeddah represented a unique blend of the richness of heritage and the intellectual nature of chess, giving the championship a distinctive cultural and social dimension alongside its competitive sporting character.