Dubai Chess and Culture Club

Dubai Chess and Culture Club was established in 1979 as a part of the UAE Chess Federation, the governing body of chess in the UAE, and was officially recognized as an independent entity on May 16, 1981. The club's headquarters was acclaimed as the most modern and biggest dedicated chess club in the world when it was inaugurated on May 2, 1999. The building is designed in the shape of a rook, a piece in the game of chess. Some of the most notable members of the club include Saeed Ahmed Saeed, the UAE’s first world champion in chess and first international master, and Taleb Moussa, the UAE’s first chess grandmaster.

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, is the honorary president of the Club. Sheikh Hamdan has played a major role in supporting the chess movement in the region.

Dubai Chess and Culture Club was established in 1981. The club’s headquarters was originally located in Burj Nahar in Deira District before it was moved permanently to its current location in Al Mamzar, Dubai. The club's current headquarters was built on May 2, 1999 and was widely acknowledged as the most modern and biggest dedicated chess club in the world when it was completed. The club played a major role in organizing the 27th World Chess Olympiad , which was hosted by the UAE Chess Federation from November 14 to December 2 at the Dubai World Trade Centre with 108 teams from 107 countries taking part, the first time participation in the Olympiad reached over a hundred. Some players who attended the event described it the best organized Olympiad. The club has hosted other international events such as the 2014 World Rapid and Blitz Championships, which was attended by nearly all the top players in the world, including world champion Magnus Carlsen, FIDE Dubai Rapid Grand Prix in 2002, Asian Cities Championships, Arab Chess Championships and the annual Dubai Open Chess Tournament.

The Dubai Chess and Culture Club building located in Al Mamzar was regarded as the most modern and biggest chess club in the world when it was completed on May 2, 1999. The club is noted for having its own dedicated facilities that allows it to host chess and non-chess activities.

The club organizes several international and local tournaments each year

Other international tournaments that have been hosted by Dubai Chess and Culture Club