Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to become a hub for world’s champions, as eyes are on the city of Al Ain
22.Jul.2025
Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to become a hub for world’s champions, as eyes are on the city of Al Ain
Under the generous initiative of Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Shakhbot Al Nahyan, who is the president of the Asian Chess Federation, it has been decided that the Asian Wild Card qualifying for the “Grand Swiss 2025” to be granted to one of the world’s youth champions. This move will come through an exclusive initiative that has been called “Wild Card Match”, which will be hosted by Al Ain Club for chess and metal sports, in coordination with the United Arab Emirates Chess Federation and under the auspices of the Asian and International Chess Federations.
The match’s press conference was attended by Hashem Al Taher, who is the secretary general of the Asian Chess Federation, Sultan Al Thahiri, who is the president of Al Ain Youth Council ACMG, and Castou Aubondu, who is the representative of the Asian Federation, where the big match’s details, which will take place at Al Ain’s Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, has been announced.
Two of the most prominent world champions for the youth will be participating through the Wild Card Match initiative, who are: The 2024 world champion grand master Nogyrbek Kazybek of Kazakhstan, and the 2025 world champion grand master Pranav V of India. They will face off in a classical two-round match to be held on the 22nd and the 23rd of the current month of July, with the implementation of tie-breaking systems if the match ends up with a draw.
Through the press conference, it has been announced that the match will be officiated by a distinguished referee staff from the United Arab Emirates, which will include the international referee Ahmed Al Noaimi, who will be the referees’ chairman, the international referee Mouza Al Mouamari, who will be his assistant referee, with an emphasis over the implementation of the International Federation’s regulations and the requirements of integrity and fair play.
Hashem Al Taher, who is the meeting’s manager, explained that this match at the city of Al Ain comes in line with the framework of fortifying the Asian presence on the international theater of competitions, he also pointed out that this generous initiative from Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Shakhbot Al Nahyan emphasizes over the Asian Confederation’s commitment to support the young champions and grant them the opportunity to participate through the largest championships.
Sultan Al Thahiri, who is the president of Al Ain Youth Council ACMG, emphasized that hosting this historical match at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium represents a qualitative milestone for the metal sports championships within the city, it also reflects the great attention by the council to empower the young talents and to expand the range of social interaction with mental sports.
In his turn, Castou Aubondu, who is the representative of the Asian Federation, pointed out that the winner of this match will be granted the directly qualifying ticket to represent the Asian continent at the “Grad Swiss”, which is scheduled to take place at the Uzbek city of Samarkand on the upcoming month of September.
