Hey, readers! Welcome to another blog!

As you have surely seen from recent news reports, our world is once again witnessing an armed conflict in the Middle East, perhaps the most tense area on the planet. Obviously, my goal here is not to explain the geopolitical situation in detail or give my opinion on who is right or wrong, as I am not even qualified to add to the discussion. I hope you will refrain from doing so in the comments section, too.

Nevertheless, as a chess blogger, I thought I could contribute in some way to do them justice. Sadly, many people around the world have a distorted image of this region, seeing it mainly as a source of oil reserves, revolutions, and wars. Today, therefore, I will attempt to demonstrate, from a chess perspective, that they are much more than that.

For those who don’t know, it was there that the decimal numbering system, as well as many advanced concepts of algebra and trigonometry, were created and developed. These concepts changed the world and are still essential today. Chess is another area in which they have some very strong players and notable achievements, which I plan to highlight in this article.

Before we begin, I would like to clarify that I have decided to expand the analysis to include not only the “classical” Middle East but also North Africa. Therefore, we will consider the entire region stretching from Morocco to Iran, also known as MENA (Middle East and North Africa).

Of course, there are significant cultural differences between these countries, but they are also united by some common characteristics. These include the predominantly Islamic religion, the Arabic language spoken in several of them, and a way of life adapted to desert conditions.

Now that everything has been explained, we can start!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Morocco

2. Egypt

3. Israel

4. Turkey

5. Iran

6. Conclusion (And Others)

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1. Morocco

I will go through the countries in geographic order from west to east. Therefore, the first one will be Morocco, one of the most important and famous nations in North Africa. It is known for its landscapes in the Sahara Desert and some very famous cities like Marrakesh and Casablanca. Interestingly, none of them is the capital city, a title held by Rabat.

Speaking of Casablanca, it hosted a rather unusual tournament last year, with Carlsen, Nakamura, and Anand among the participants. What made this event unique was that the players had to start from specific positions taken from famous games. The community loved this idea so much that the variant was named Casablanca Chess.

You can read more about it here: Casablanca Chess: A Stunning New Variant by @SavageOppress

Turning to the chess scene there, Morocco finished 100th in the last FIDE Olympiad. In my humble and unbiased opinion, anything behind New Zealand (70th place) cannot be considered a good performance. In the previous edition of the event in 2022, they finished 73rd, which is slightly more acceptable.

However, despite not being a traditional chess powerhouse, that doesn’t mean they don't have any notable players. Of the many interesting names, I have selected two to introduce to my readers. Let’s learn more about them!

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The first is Hichem Hamdouchi, the only Moroccan Grandmaster (GM), who won the National Chess Championship eleven times, the first of these victories coming in 1988, when he was just 15 years old. In 1995, Hamdouchi became the Arab Chess Champion in Dubai, a title he won again in 2002 and 2004. He also won the African Chess Championship in 2001.

A curious fact is that, in 2009, he transferred to the French Chess Federation and won the French Championship in 2013. He also played for France at the European Team Chess Championship in Warsaw, winning the silver medal. Hamdouchi transferred back to the Moroccan Federation in 2016.

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Another is International Master (IM) Mohamed Tissir, who played on Board 1 in the last Olympiad. He won the African Chess Championship in 1999 and has also won the Moroccan Chess Championship three times, in 1996, 1999, and 2005.

However, what really caught my attention the most during my research was discovering that Tissir won a gold medal on board 2 at the 36th Chess Olympiad in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 2004. Pretty impressive, right?

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2. Egypt

The richest and most famous country in North Africa certainly could not be left out. Time to find out more about Egypt, a place full of history, mystery, and important figures. The archaeological treasures of Luxor, the pyramids of Giza, and the city of Alexandria delight tourists from all around the world.

In chess, they are undoubtedly the strongest African nation, having finished 39th in the last FIDE Olympiad. The second best was Zimbabwe, which finished in 56th position.

Further evidence of this can be seen in the fact that, of the 20 editions of the African Chess Championship, the winner was an Egyptian player in no less than 15 of them, including nine titles out of the last ten editions.

So, who are the players responsible for this success? Well, there are three main names that I need to mention. Not coincidentally, they are also the three strongest players in the whole of the African continent. Let's learn more about them!

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The first one is Bassem Amin, who was born on 9 September 1988. As well as being a chess grandmaster, he is also a medical doctor. He is the highest-rated Egyptian and African player, with a peak FIDE rating of 2712, which placed him 33rd in the world in June 2019.

Between 2009 and 2024, Amin won the African Chess Championship seven times, making him by far the most successful winner of this tournament. He has also won the Arab Chess Championship three times: in 2005, 2006, and 2013.

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Ahmed Adly, born on 18 February 1987, is another famous Egyptian Grandmaster. Considered a chess prodigy, he earned his International Master title in 2001, aged just 14.

Adly went on to earn his GM title in 2005, becoming the first Egyptian and the youngest African ever to achieve this feat. A four-time African champion, he won his titles between 2005 and 2021.

He has already expressed his admiration for Mikhail Tal and his attacking style, which has inspired him.

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And the last player I would like to mention is Adham Fawzy. Despite looking older, he is only 25 years old and is widely regarded as Egypt’s best young talent. Born on 3 January 2000, Fawzy earned the Grandmaster title in 2019.

Some of his most notable achievements include becoming the African Junior Champion in both 2018 and 2019, followed by winning his first African Chess Championship title in 2023.

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3. Israel

Now, we must talk about a small, controversial country bathed by the Mediterranean Sea. Its most important cities are Tel Aviv, Beersheba, and, of course, Jerusalem.  However, please be aware that I am not interested in hearing your opinion of Israel as a nation or its geopolitical influence.

Since this is a chess blog, let's focus on the game. In that respect, it is impossible to ignore their feats. Israel has some remarkable players and has achieved great things over the years, which I would like to discuss.

One of the country's most impressive results was winning the silver medal at the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany. Although they are not usually considered to be among the strongest chess teams, they have consistently finished in the top 10 at Olympiads.

One factor that was decisive in achieving this status was the influx of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Already accustomed to high-level chess and trained in the dominant power of the time, these players helped to develop the game in Israel significantly when they arrived, adding dozens of titled players to the country's ranks.

I have chosen the two that I consider to be the most important and famous. Join me to find out more about them.

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The first is Boris Abramovich Gelfand, who was born in Belarus on 24 June 1968 and immigrated to Israel in 1998. He is a two-time Belarusian Chess Champion, and also a former USSR and European Junior Champion. He reached a world ranking of #3 in July 1990, with a peak rating of 2777.

Gelfand was in the world's top 30 for 27 years and played in the Candidates Tournament six times. In 2011, he won the tournament, qualifying to play in the World Championship match against the Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. After the classical portion ended in a 6-6 tie, he lost in the rapid tie-breaks.

Boris competed in eleven Olympiads, representing both the USSR and Israel. He was the Board 1 player when they won the historic silver medal in 2008.

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Another notable figure is Ilya Smirin, born in Belarus on 21 January 1968. After immigrating to Israel in 1992, he became one of the country's leading players, winning the National Championship in 1992, 2002, and 2023.

Playing for the Israeli national team, he won the bronze medal at the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

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4. Turkey

Despite not being an Arab country, Turkey is also considered part of the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire was responsible for an event that marked the end of the Middle Ages, when it conquered the city of Constantinople in 1453.

Today, this city remains one of the most famous in the world, but it was officially renamed Istanbul on 28 March 1930. Other well-known places include Ankara, the capital, and Antalya, a popular tourist destination on the coast.

However, you didn't come here for a geography lesson. It's time to start discussing chess.

At the last Chess Olympiad, Turkey finished a commendable 12th, led by a new generation who, in my opinion, are strong contenders for the Candidates Tournament and the World Championship in the years to come.

However, before reading more about them, I thought it would be important to mention a player who paved the way.

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Mustafa Yilmaz, born on 5 November 1992, is one of Turkey's most prominent chess players. He is a three-time Turkish Chess Champion, having first won the title in 2009 at the age of 16, making him the youngest national champion ever. He won his other two trophies in 2017 and 2022.

Yilmaz was the highest-rated player in the country for a long time, peaking in December 2023 with an Elo rating of 2665. However, he has recently been overtaken by two younger players.

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Ediz Gürel was born in Bursa on 5 December 2008 and received the Grandmaster title last year, aged 16, right after the 2024 Prague Chess Festival. This achievement made him the youngest Turkish GM ever, although this record has since been broken by the next player featured in this article.

In July 2024, Gürel became the highest-ranked active Turkish chess player. Currently at his peak with a rating of 2636, he is ranked 93rd in the world.

At the 45th Chess Olympiad, he earned an individual bronze medal, scoring 9/11 on board two.

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And now, their most promising prodigy. Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş was born on 3 June 2011, also in Bursa (is the water there magical?), and, as of June 2025, is the youngest grandmaster in the world and the fourth most precocious person in history to achieve the title.

He is also the youngest player ever to achieve a rating of 2600. I therefore strongly believe that we will see him play in a World Championship match one day.

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5. Iran

Finally, the last country in this text. Iran is one of the protagonists of the sad news we have been seeing lately. But don’t be fooled or biased, they are much more than that. The Persians' legacy and history are vital to the development of humanity in areas such as architecture and literature.

Apart from the capital, Tehran, other important cities include Mashhad, Isfahan, and Shiraz. As I wrote in my blog last month, chess was banned there following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, but this decision was reversed not long after.

They finished 26th in the last Chess Olympiad, mainly thanks to two of the world's strongest GMs, both of whom have an Elo rating above 2700 and hold the unofficial title of Super Grandmaster.

Let's summarize their careers to show that Iran is much more than the ongoing debates about nuclear weapons and gender equality.

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Parham Maghsoodloo, born in Gorgan on 12 August 2000, is a three-time Iranian national chess champion, having won the title in 2017, 2018, and 2021. He was also crowned World Junior Chess Champion in 2018, winning it with a game in hand and a score of 9.5/11, a full point ahead of his competitors.

Curiously, Parham is one of the few players to have received the IM and GM titles in the same year, both in 2016. Currently ranked 38th in the world, he reached a peak Elo of 2742 and was ranked 12th in December 2023.

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Born on 5 February 2001, Seyyed Mohammad Amin Tabatabaei is Iran's second strongest player, with a peak rating of 2718, which placed him 24th in the world in July 2024.

His most notable result came in the 2021 World Cup, where he was ranked 86th but reached the quarterfinals, eliminating renowned players such as Yu Yangyi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Haik Martirosyan. This performance earned him a place in the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix tournament, which, at the time, offered a spot in the Candidates Tournament.

Tabatabaei won his pool in the Grand Prix and ultimately finished sixth place in the overall event series. He was therefore very close to competing in the Candidates.

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Note: Despite being born in Iran, I have decided not to write about Sara Khadem and Alireza Firouzja here, as I am unsure whether they would want to be associated with the country today. I just didn't want you to think I had forgotten about them.

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Conclusion (And Others)

If you are still here, thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed learning more about chess in those countries. I was especially excited to write about it after last month's post, Checkmated by Power: Times When Chess Was Banned.

Despite being banned in this region on several occasions, almost always for religious reasons, it is amazing to see that our beloved game has not only survived there but grown stronger each year!

I would also like to express my gratitude to two people who inspired me to write this article: @sleepyporcyy, whose blog The Best African Chess Players made me want to produce a similar one, and my friend @GG_Why_No, who suggested the topic.

Finally, I cannot finish this text without making some necessary honorable mentions of players from other countries in the MENA region. Names who surely deserve our recognition include:

• GM Bilel Bellahcene from Algeria, the 2025 African Champion.

• GM Amir Zaibi from Tunisia, the 2019 Arab Champion.

• GM Ahmad Al Khatib from Jordan, the 2023 Arab Champion and the country's sole GM.

• FM Ahmed Abdullah Alrehaili, the only master in Saudi Arabia.

• GM Mohamad Al-Modiahki from Qatar, a four-time Arab champion, having won them between 1994 and 2002.

• GM Salem A.R. Saleh from the UAE, a three-time Arab Champion, who, in my opinion, played the best game of 2024. See below.

Unfortunately, I cannot discuss everyone in detail, and many players have been omitted, but I hope this text has proven that the Middle East and the Sahara region are rich in more than just oil; they are rich in culture and intellect, too.

That's all for today, folks! Thank you for sticking with me. See you again on 15 July, probably with the third episode of the series The Chessboard Of The World!