Qatar Chess Association president Khalifa al-Hitmi (left) and Qatar Insurance Company’s deputy Group president and Mena Region CEO Salem al-Mannai during the signing ceremony.

By Sports Reporter/Doha


Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) has partnered with Qatar Chess Association (QCA) to be the official sponsor for the Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament, which will run December 19-30. With booming businesses and a growing economy, companies in Qatar are putting themselves on the map for their drive towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Commenting on the development, Salem al-Mannai, deputy Group president and CEO Mena Region said, “We are delighted to partner with QCA especially for this tournament as it is regarded as the strongest Open Tournament in the history of Chess. Twenty players participating in the tournament are ranked amongst global top 40 players, and will be headed by the current World Champion and the World Champions of 2001 and 2006.”
He further stated, “Moving beyond being the Official sponsor of the tournament, we believe in developing beneficial partnerships to develop impactful CSR initiatives to exchange best practice and share winning strategies. We resolve to strive harder to be a leading corporate citizen and have measurable impact on the society and our future generation.”
QCA president Khalifa al-Hitmi said, “Qatar Masters Open Chess Tournament is well poised to become the strongest open chess tournament in the world. We are grateful to QIC for being the official sponsor for this exciting tournament and for using innovative initiatives and approaches such as this to inspire our youth to take a proactive role in shaping the development of our nation.”