A festival built to attract titled players
Norm-eligible open tournaments are a currency of their own in professional chess: a strong field, a fair number of rounds, and a well-run arbiting team give both established Grandmasters and rising titled players a reliable place to chase rating points or a title norm. Abu Dhabi's Open section was designed around exactly that need.
What the strongest boards look like
In a typical edition, the top boards of the Open section pair Grandmasters against strong national-team players and ambitious International Masters chasing a GM norm. That mix is deliberate — it gives local players a genuine chance to test themselves against titled opposition, while giving visiting Grandmasters a full field to work through over nine rounds.
Beyond the top boards
Titled players don't only appear at board one. Many take part in the Festival's side events — simultaneous exhibitions, junior coaching sessions and the Rapid and Blitz side tournaments — giving local youth players rare direct contact with international-level chess during festival week.
Following the games
Live boards from the top of the Open section are broadcast with a short delay during the Festival, and full crosstables are published on our results page after each round.