Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival is back to the capital, marking its 31st edition, and it promises to be the largest and most competitive yet. Held at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort in Abu Dhabi Corniche, the event will run from August 15 to 24.

This year, it welcomes over 3,000 participants from 82 countries to compete for a half-million-dirham prize pool across 27 different tournaments.

 

The festival will feature various chess formats and other classic games such as checkers and dominoes, alongside the traditional chess tournaments.

This year, Chess960 (also known as Fischer Random Chess) is introduced. Chess960 is a variant that mixes things up by starting the game with shuffled pieces — adding a whole new layer of unpredictability to the game!

Some of the world’s best players, such as Sanan Sjugirov (player rating: 2636) and Arkadij Naiditsch (player rating: 2604), will compete alongside top local talents like Imran Al Hosani and Roza Issa Al Serkal.

 

With over 500 more players compared to last year, the 2025 edition is one of the largest chess festivals globally.

If chess isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the capital. For fans of the magical world of Harry Potter, the Harry Potter: The Exhibition is still running, but hurry — it’s only open for one more month. And for those planning ahead, Open Fire Food Festival by Steve Harvey is coming back this November at Etihad Park. Plenty to look forward to!