Sulaiman clinches Gulf double
Veteran Mohammad Sulaiman (UAE) is clearly the form player in Middle East, after he won his second Gulf Championships title in a row. This year's tournament was held in Dubai, 24–25 June, with a total prize fund of around US$6800. Sulaiman won 13 games out of 16, two ahead of both Nikhil Soneja (UAE) and Salah Salih (Saudi Arabia).
Five competitors won national representative places at WSC through the event: Sulaiman, Salih, Irffan Siddiqui for Bahrain (4th), Marie Fernandes for Oman (8th) and Wone Mamadou for Kuwait (11th).