Kurdistan Universities Chess Championship
Today was a great day for me and my colleagues at Salahaddin University-Erbil. We took part in the first Kurdistan Universities Chess Championship, and I’m happy to share that our team won! Prof. Dr. Hawre Mustafa Bakr, President of Erbil Medical University, supervised the event, which was organized by the Sports Activities Directorate together with the Khanzad Chess Club. The tournament used the Swiss system in team format.
Our Team
The tournament was held at the Khanzad Chess Club hall over five rounds. I was part of the Salahaddin University-Erbil team with my colleagues:
- Dr. Farhad Ali
- Dr. Shwan Othman
- Dr. Polla Fattah (me)
- Mr. Hazhar Jalal
The tournament brought together university lecturers and staff from across Kurdistan who like to play chess. It was a good chance to meet people from other universities and have some friendly competition.
Participating Universities
Eight universities from across Kurdistan took part:
- Salahaddin University-Erbil - Winner
- Catholic University in Erbil
- Soran University
- Tishk International University
- Erbil Polytechnic University
- University of Duhok
- University of Kurdistan Hewlêr
- Kurdistan Institute for Strategic Studies & Scientific Research
Our Victory
I’m really happy to share that our Salahaddin University-Erbil team won first place! This was a great day for all of us at the university. We worked well together as a team and managed to come out on top.
The Swiss System Format
The tournament used the Swiss system, which pairs players with similar scores throughout the tournament. This made it fair for everyone. As a team, we had to work together and support each other, and I think we did a good job coordinating our efforts.
The Khanzad Chess Club
The Khanzad Chess Club was a great place to hold the tournament. They have hosted many chess tournaments before, including the Barzani International Chess Championship and the Khanzad International Rapid Chess Tournament, so they know how to organize these events well.
What This Victory Means to Me
This tournament was more than just playing chess—it was a chance for universities across Kurdistan to come together. For me personally, winning with my colleagues Dr. Farhad Ali, Dr. Shwan Othman, and Mr. Hazhar Jalal was really nice. The event helped:
- Bring universities together for friendly competition
- Let people from different universities meet and talk
- Show that chess can be a good activity for university staff
- Build connections between Kurdistan’s universities
Looking Forward
This first championship was a success and hopefully there will be more tournaments in the future. For me and my team, winning was a great experience. It showed how chess can bring universities together in a fun way. I’m already looking forward to taking part in future tournaments!
The Kurdistan Universities Chess Championship was a great event, and I’m happy to have been part of this victory with my colleagues Dr. Farhad Ali, Dr. Shwan Othman, and Mr. Hazhar Jalal. This was a really good day for all of us at Salahaddin University-Erbil!