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Iran stands out in World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2016

Saturday, 30 July 2016 1:17 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 30 July 2016 1:17 PM ]

The World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2016 started in Poprad, Slovakia, on July 21 and finished on July 30, 2016. (Illustrative photo)

Junior Iranian chess players have impressed the crowd with their well-calculated moves at the World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2016 in Slovakia, and regained the crown of the prestigious international tournament.

On Friday, the Iranian team, comprised of 12-year-old Alireza Firouzja, Grandmaster Parham Maqsoudlou and Arash Tahbaz, prevailed over the Romanian side by 2.5 points to 1.5 in the final round of the event at Arena Poprad in the northern city of Poprad.

Firouzja and Tahbaz achieved convincing victories over their Roman counterparts in their final showdowns, while the game between Maqsoudlou and his Central European rival ended in a tie.

Iran’s national cadet chess team garnered 17 points out of nine rounds to stand atop the podium.

The Persians were followed by Russians in the second spot with 15 points. Armenians claimed the third place, having chalked up 14 points.

The World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2016 started in Poprad on July 21 and finished on July 30. It was held under the supervision of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) or World Chess Federation, and used the Swiss system for pairings.

A record number of 41 countries, including Armenia, Austria, Australia, Belgium, China, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine, participated in the tournament.

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