You may be wondering how we decide which juniors to interview, as there are so many amazing players walking around? Well sometimes, they just catch our eye, sometimes we have heard or read good things about them and sometimes it is a chance introduction. That was the case in our next story. We met up with the players from Qatar, because they played against Australia in round one , a country we are all familiar with, but don’t know too much about. The very friendly players asked us to take some photos of them as well and the conversation commenced.
Click on the board below to read David’s annotation of the exciting game between Bobby Cheng and Al Hor in Round 1 at the Olympiad.
17-year-old Al Shamari and 18 year old Al Hor are playing at the Olympiad for Qatar and while Al Shamari also played in Baku two years ago, it is the first time for Al Hor.
Playing against Australia is not the only connection these guys have with Australia as Al Hor used to be coached IM Alexej Khamatgaleev. (Alexej is married to Julia Ryjanova, who is currently playing for the Australian Women’s team) Julia and Alexej worked as a chess coach in Qatar in 2003, and Julia was the captain of the Qatari women’s chess team from 2008 for a number of years.
We always meet for our interviews in the morning, so the players have plenty of time for lunch and preparations. There are lots of hotels in and around Batumi, but some teams have been placed in hotels on some of the beach resorts outside the city boundaries. This is the case of the Qatar team and we must travel for an hour by taxi to reach their very luxurious hotel. They tell me this is very difficult for their team players as Qatar is very small and they are not used to long travel. It is a difficult situation to be in, would you prefer to stay in a basic hotel near the playing hall, or live in luxury for two weeks, but travel an hour each way?
When did you start playing chess?
Al Hor – When I was 13 years old. I accompanied by brother and father to the local chess club to watch my brother play. I was convinced to try chess for one week and got hooked. I am now the only one of my four siblings who still plays chess.
Al Shamari – I started also when I was 13 years of age at a school tournament. I watched You-Tube video’s and taught myself how the pieces move. I then moved from the school chess club to a city chess club as I improved.
What is the junior chess league like in Qatar?
The U12 categories are growing now that the federation is making a real effort to put some advertising in. At our level there are only 6 players, but you need to keep in mind that there are only 300.000 people in the entire country. We do have 2 GM’s, so we are pretty proud of that!
What are some of your goals?
Al Hor – I would like to come 2nd in the upcoming Arab championships. Of course, gaining the GM title would be my ultimate goal.
Al Shamari – I don’t have any chess goals at the moment, just play and win games.
Who is your favourite player of all times?
Al Hor – Mikhael Tahl. I like the way he plays, very complicated and tactical
Al Shamari – Hichem Hamdouchi, a Moroccan-French chess grandmaster. He is a very positional player and I enjoy his games.
What kind of player are you?
Al Shamari – I like to think I am a positional player, until my opponent makes a mistake. I like to play the Sicilian with black and London with white.
Al Hor – I like to play sharp chess and what I play depends on my mood. I have relatively recently changed my opening repertoire to Pirc Defence and even though I don’t love the opening, I do seem to be getting good results, so I’ll stick with it a bit longer. I have now started to focus more on studying end games.
What kind of chess books do you read?
Al Shamari – I have been very busy with high school lately and have not been reading many chess books. However I do have a couple of strategy books in Arabic that I like.
Al Hor – I was given ‘Imagination in chess’ by Paata Gaprindashvili, but at the time I was too weak of a player. I hope to be able to work with it very soon. [editorial note – this is David’s favourite book as it discusses thinking processes]
What has chess taught you about life?
Al Hor – It has given me more patience
Al Shamari – How to solve problems. Sometimes it is better to wait and think.
What was your most memorable game?
Al Shamari – In 2015 in Morocco where I played against an Algerian champion with a rating of 1900. At this time I only had a rating of 1500. I played the London and a very sharp game followed. Nearing the end I took 30 minutes to consider a move after which my opponent resigned. Ivan Sokolov was very impressed with my game and shook my hand to congratulate me!
Al Hor – My most memorable game was at the Biel chess festival where I played against Jan Fricke. He played an opening I was unfamiliar with and was under pressure. Then I played a very rare gambit, unknown by my coach, and was able to continue with confidence. Peter Sviedler was behind me us during this gambit and he smiled when I made the move. He even tweeted about it and responded to my tweet!
Click on the board below to read the annotation by David on this game by Al Hor. We have left Al Hor’s comments in the annotation to give you an inside look in what he was thinking!
We noticed there is no Women’s team this year playing for Qatar. Why is that?
They are currently preparing for their exams and were unable to make it this year. Hopefully in future years we will be able to submit a women’s team.
What do we not know about Qatar that we should all be aware off?
Al Hor – The people are really kind. Some might be reluctant to talk to locals, but you should really try as they are very kind and always willing to help! We also have a lot traditional food with rice.
We wish the team all the best as their board 2 player had to leave and their board five player has flown in to assist. This means that there are only four players remaining for the final 6 rounds and all players will need to play all rounds. This will be incredible tough, but after having met the two young men, we are confident they will give it their all!