Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
UAE’s rising chess star Rouda Al Serkal signed off with a flourish at the Norway Chess Open, winning three consecutive games to close out the prestigious tournament’s General Masters category on a high in the city of Stavanger.
The 15-year-old showed remarkable resilience over nine gruelling rounds on her debut in the tournament as a wild card entry. If the column of victories are a parameter to measure success, she notched a hat-trick and yet, the Emirati Woman GrandMaster (WGM) chose to reflect on the wins that got away.
With three wins, two draws and four losses, Al Serkal’s overall performance was a promising show of potential. After a frustrating start, she found her first win in the seventh round and then went on to take the next two as well. Her ability to rebound and finish strongly added a healthy dose of character and composure to her international journey.
“Eventually I just found my footing,” Al Serkal said on the sidelines of the event at its conclusion on Sunday. “I stopped overthinking, focused on basics, and trusted my training. Once that happened, things began to click.
“I was honestly hoping to gain around 100 rating points,” the 15-year-old lass said. “Most of the rounds I lost, I was either winning or had a clear advantage but lost my way in the end. That’s what frustrated me the most.”
Fresh off a strong campaign at the Asian Individual Women’s Championship in Al Ain two weeks before the tournament and a productive training block, Al Serkal came into the tournament with confidence. However, the opening round on May 26 against Swedish Grandmaster Platon Galperin – one of the tournament’s highest-rated players in the open category and who finished fourth overall – didn’t go to plan.
The loss, despite playing with white pieces, hit her hard. “It was tough to start like that and then mentally recover from there – I was disappointed,” Rouda admitted. “I didn’t feel like I was getting my game right, and it was demoralising to lose after such a long fight. But I knew I had to regroup quickly.”
Al Serkal, who celebrates her birthday next month, steadied herself with a hard-fought draw the next day against American Luke Leon Robin Anatol before suffering another defeat in round three to Spain’s Lucia Follana Albelda. “That was even more crushing as I had her completely in my grasp after opening with a Caro-Kahn advanced variation, but somehow I just failed to capitalise.”
Two more challenging days followed with a draw against Mexico’s Jan Enrique Zepeda Berlanga and losses to Norwegians Ask Amundsen (playing white) and Astor Moe Maurstad (playing black).
But the UAE’s first Woman Grandmaster and a former world youth champion refused to give up. This time she managed to take advantage with white against Norway’s home favourite Sigur Myny. She carried that momentum forward, beating Italy’s Mauro Pivi, and capped her campaign off with a composed victory over France’s Franck Gouanelle.
“It was a learning experience more than anything else,” Al Serkal said. “And I’m proud I stayed with it. Ending with three wins felt really special – I feel like I’m still leaving stronger than I arrived although I could have done much better.”
Tournament founder Kjell Madland praised her spirited finish as well. “It is exactly this kind of story that reinforces Norway Chess as a truly global platform. To have young talents like Rouda travel all the way from the UAE to compete at this level adds richness and reach to what we’re building here in Stavanger.”
Meanwhile, in the elite Norway Chess super-tournament being played concurrently in Stavanger, world No.1 and local superstar Magnus Carlsen and reigning two-time Women’s World Rapid Chess champion Koneru Humpy were leading in the open and women’s sections respectively after five rounds with the sixth still in progress on Sunday evening.
