The kings of chess were crowned yesterday after making the right moves to win a major tournament in their age categories at the highly-competitive Riffa Views Chess Tournament.
Saudi Aramco’s technology specialist Mostafa Pajouyan claimed the adult category prize for a second time and home-schooled Yousuf Alam, 14, took the U16 title.
Yousuf Alam
“I was indeed lucky,” said modest 52-year-old Mr Pajouyan, a Belgian national with Iranian roots who has been living in Bahrain since 2009. “Both tournaments were very close and highly-contested.”
Introduced to chess by his late father, Manouchehr, as a nine-year-old, he was delighted to see so many children participating, enjoying a game recognised as a ‘mind sport’ by the International Olympic Committee.
“I was extremely happy to see many youngsters playing in this tournament,” he added. “As a teenager, I participated with the school team in many tournaments, finishing twice as Number One, and I still enjoy the battle to this day!”
For the uninitiated, chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces, with the objective to checkmate the opponent’s king. Experts say playing has several benefits such as improving cognitive skills, as well as boosting self-confidence.
American expatriate Yousuf, 14, is a prime example, and he is hoping to one day became a master technician of the sport
“It feels great to win the tournament,” he said. “I started playing chess when I was seven but I only learned how to move the pieces. I stopped for a while and got back into it last May.
“I watched a lot of chess videos to learn tactics and also participated in sessions at the Bahrain Chess Academy and Arjun Chess Academy and learnt one or two more openings.”
One of the tournament challenges he faced involved playing against an opponent he had lost heavily to in the past. “I was feeling pretty intimidated at first but during the game I found a Greek Gift Sacrifice and finished the game in about 33 moves.”
His opponent in the final game made two illegal moves resulting in Yousuf sealing his victory in 24 moves.
Parents Adnan and Fehmina are extremely proud of his achievement as were his siblings Zara, 11, and Taha, eight. “He’s been taking up all the opportunities to keep his game sharp,” said Mr Alam, who works for a consultancy company.
Dr Burhanuddin Alawadhi, one of tournament organisers, was thrilled with the event’s success.
“I’m grateful for Riffa Views International School for giving us the opportunity to host the event there, and ecstatic to see so many people energised and passionate about chess.”
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