Iraqi Chess Federation to launch 2nd Rafidain Championship in Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Chess Federation announced the launch of the second Al-Rafidain Chess Championship in Baghdad, scheduled to take place during the first week of June. Organized to discover fresh domestic talent and map out national team selections, the tournament serves as a key qualifier for upcoming elite international fixtures.

Asaad Ismail, a board member of the Iraqi Chess Federation, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the championship will be hosted at the Inter Hotel in Baghdad Governorate from June 2 to June 7, 2026. The competition will follow a strict Swiss-system format spanning nine intense rounds, with all matches officially recognized and registered on the International Chess Federation (FIDE) calendar.

The tactical parameters of the tournament are set to test the endurance of the players. Each competitor will be allocated a base playing time of 70 minutes, with a 30-second increment added for every completed move. Because of this setup, individual rounds are expected to stretch over three hours, ensuring highly competitive and technically demanding matches for both the male and female divisions.

The stakes are exceptionally high for the competitors, with the tournament offering five vital qualification spots for future regional and global stages. The player who secures first place will gain an automatic spot on the Iraqi national team roster for the upcoming World Chess Olympiad, which is scheduled to be held in Uzbekistan this September. The runner-up will qualify directly for the final stage of the domestic championship taking place in Iraq at the end of the year, while the third, fourth, and fifth-place finishers will secure their spots in the first stage of the next competitive cycle.

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المصدر: Iraqi News