Round 4: Upsets at the Halfway Line

AR Chess Academy
Nov 11
2 min read

Round 4 of the 2nd AR Chess Academy Classical Tournament couldn't have delivered more excitement - it was filled with upsets, lengthy games and incredible climatic moments.

We were privileged to have the Founder of CoaChess, Iheb Kaabi, all the way from Tunisia, playing the first ceremonial move for us right before the start of round 4.

*Iheb Kaabi making the ceremonial move for round 4 on board 1*

Among the day’s many highlights was a special studio visit from Basil Ahmed Mohammed Alsalman, who joined us for a post-game interview and analysis. What initially looked like a winning endgame for the young prodigy suddenly took a sharp turn. Even after his opponent managed to promote an extra queen, Basil could have spotted a clever tactic that would have allowed him to save the draw

*The moment Basil realized he could have forced stalemate in the endgame*

Another memorable clash came from the board of Mohamed Elhendy and Chaanthnisri V. With the white pieces, Elhendy dominated early, gaining significant central space. But Chaanthnisri countered brilliantly, seizing control of the c-file with her rooks and eventually converting her advantage by winning a pawn through a series of precise queen maneuvers.