Europe wins at pioneering chess tournament for disabled

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ANKARA (AA) - A European chess team playing in Turkey won the first Confederation Cup for disabled people on Friday after winning all their group matches.

Five teams from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and a Turkey-Russia joint team competed to win the trophy at the International Chess Federation (FIDE) competition in Turkey’s capital Ankara, the first such competition of its kind.

At an awards ceremony, the Asian team came in second with two wins, one draw, and one loss, while the Americas team took third place with one win, two draws, and one defeat.

The Russia-Turkey joint team came in fourth with one win, one draw and two losses, while Africa came in fifth place.

The U.S.' Griffin McConnell was named the youngest and the most successful chess player in the tournament.

The tournament drew chess players from 24 countries, including ones who are physically disabled, visually impaired, and hearing impaired.

At the closing ceremony, Gulkiz Tulay, head of the Turkish Chess Federation, underlined the importance of this event for Turkey.

“Turkey hosted a very special tournament, and the efforts of disabled chess players should be an example to everyone," she said.

“We watched wonderful matches full of friendship, peace, and fair play. It was a remarkable contest. Seeing the happiness on the faces of players from around the world was worth everything."

Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom supported the competition.

Yaroslav Mozdakov, a company representative, also spoke at the ceremony, saying: “Rosatom will always volunteer to support mind competitions worldwide.”