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Interview with GM Ahmad Adly

Winning world junior chess title was a dream, says Egyptian Adly

Dubai: It may surprise you to discover that the reigning World Junior Chess champion Ahmad Adly hails from Egypt, a country where chess is yet to become popular.
But through determination and hard work this twenty-year-old youngster has made his mark in the chess arena. Displaying enormous talent he has shocked many opponents in the Dubai Open Championship
"I did not begin as a chess player. My first love was fencing and I was very good in it. It was my father who introduced me to chess and I right away fell in love with it," Adly told Gulf News.
"I never expected to win it. It was very competitive. My seeding was 21 and I expected to be in the top five ranking. Winning the event was like a dream come true.
Adly became the first player from the African continent to win a major world title.
"I won my first big tournament when I was only 14 and became the African Junior champion. I trained for five hours every day. Hassan Khalid was my first coach," said Adly, who idolises Mikhail Tal, former world champion, for his aggressive style of play.
It has been a hard struggle for Adly to the top. "Chess does not get any sponsorship support in Egypt. After my success it is getting slightly popular. In 2007 I won the runner-up award for the best sportsman of the country."
What is the most important factor that he has learnt from chess?
"If you understand chess, you understand life and if you understand life you understand chess," he said.

Interview with So, Wesly

Fifteen year old Wesley so from the Philippines is currently the youngest Grandmaster and seventh youngest in chess history. He clinched a place in history last December at the age of 14 years, one month and 28 days. "I felt very happy when I became a Grandmaster. Maybe I will become a model for my fellow players. My aim now is to become a super Grandmaster," So told Gulf News.

Sitting next to his father, William, So spoke about his love for the game. "I began playing from the age of seven. My father taught me the basics. Soon I enrolled in a chess club. When I started playing tournaments I realized I am good in chess and decided to continue," said So, who lives in Cavite near Manila. So won his first title at the age of 10 but in the under-10 world youth championship he finished 19th. "I practice and study chess for six hours daily. Discipline, patience and hard work are my strong points," he said. Wesley is now the sole leader in Dubai open chess and considering his devastating form he is expected to go all the way

Interview with Gaponenko's journey against all odds

He is blind, but that has not stopped him from playing his favourite sport: chess. Defying all odds, he has reached the sixth round of the Dubai Open Chess tournament competing against some top players.

Leonid Gaponenko from Kazakhstan is an inspiration for all players at this tournament. It is the first time in the history of this ten-year old tournament that a blind man has entered as a contestant. Gaponenko's wife guides him to his seat. With a constant smile that lights up his face, he makes his moves by touching the pieces on a special board.

"I was not born blind. At 13, I had a car accident and lost my sight. Before that, I used to play checkers, but when I joined university, some of the students there taught me chess and I fell in love with it," said Gaponenko who turned 64 on April 6, the opening day of this tournament.

"Chess means a lot to me. It has added a new dimension to my life. It has helped me travel and make new friends. Frankly, chess is the happiness of my life," he added. Gaponenko does not consider blindness as a handicap. He proved it in 1986 by emerging the champion of the then USSR in a tournament for the partially blind.

He then went on to compete in the European Championship for the partially blind, but missed the title by a mere half-a-point.