UAE Grandmaster Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh claimed gold at the 2024 Biel International Chess Festival, winning the inaugural Challengers Triathlon in dominant fashion and cementing his status as one of the UAE's finest chess exports.
Salem Saleh Dominates the Challengers Triathlon
Representing the UAE national team and Sharjah Cultural Chess Club, Saleh delivered an outstanding performance across 22 games. He finished with 35.5 points in total — 9 points in Blitz, 6 in Rapid, and 20.5 in Classical — ending 11 points clear of second-place finisher Alexander Donchenko.
The victory was secured with two days to spare after Saleh defeated GM Vaishali Rameshbabu with the white pieces, clinching a mathematically unassailable lead before the final rounds were even played.
Tournament Format: Three Disciplines, One Champion
The Challengers Triathlon combined three time controls into a single competition. Section A featured five classical games, five games with colors reversed, and ten blitz games played in a double round-robin. The top four players from Section A then advanced to Section B, where they contested classical time-control games against opponents with opposite colors.
The format rewards versatility across all speeds of chess — Blitz, Rapid, and Classical — making Saleh's commanding margin of victory all the more impressive.
A Loyal Guest Returns in Record Style
This was Saleh's tenth appearance at the Biel Chess Festival, making the gold medal a milestone achievement in a long relationship with the Swiss event. His consistent excellence across multiple time formats underlined why he remains a cornerstone of the UAE national chess team and the Sharjah Cultural Chess Club.
Alexander Donchenko finished second with 23 points, while Indian GM Vaishali Rameshbabu — the only female competitor in the field — rounded out the podium in third with a solid overall performance.
