Maldives has won gold medal in the recently concluded 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022.

The Maldivian men’s team claimed the first in the championship and won gold medals in the E Category, after beating some intimidating opponents such as chess champions from Qatar.

The team won third, sixth, eighth, 10th and 11th rounds in the championship.

The women’s chess team from Maldives also made significant achievements in the championship, having won the second, fourth and ninth rounds.

The FIDE Chess Olympiad is the biggest chess championship held across the globe.

President of the Chess Association of Maldives, Hussain Shiyan revealed that the benefits of the Western Asian Junior Chess Championship held in the Maldives this year, were observed in the FIDE Chess Olympiad.

As such, the players from the Maldives junior team who played for the senior team in the Chess Olympiad, had benefitted from their experience in the previous championship and used their skills and experiences to excel in the tournament.

The 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad held in Chennai, India, saw 368 teams from across 188 countries, with Maldives having competed against 38 countries in the E Category.

This is also the first time a Maldivian chess arbiter got the chance from an international chess tournament. Mohamed Shamrooh had acted as an arbiter at the tournament.

Of recent, Maldives has been reaching new heights in the sport, having hosted an international chess tournament for the first time in the country’s history this year.

Uzbekistan, who claimed the championship this year and India who came third in the tournament, had also taken part in the Western Asian Junior Chess Championship held in the Maldives this year.