UAE's Al Serkal finishes strong in Norway Chess Open debut

UAE's rising chess star, Rouda Al Serkal, closed her debut at the Norway Chess Open's grandmaster category with three wins, finishing with 4 points from nine rounds.

The 15-year-old showed resilience after a difficult start, bouncing back from early losses to defeat Norway’s Sigur H. Myny, Italy’s Mauro Pivi, and France’s Franck Gouanelle in her final three games.

“It was tough to start like that and then mentally recover,” Rouda said of her opening-round loss to Swedish Grand Master Platon Galperin. “But I knew I had to regroup quickly.”

Her early rounds included two draws and four defeats, including a loss to Spain’s Lucia Follana Albelda after a strong start with the Caro-Kann. Despite the setbacks, she made her way to victory.

“Eventually I just found my footing,” she said. “I stopped overthinking, trusted my training and things began to click.”

Fresh off a strong campaign at the Asian Individual Women’s Championship in Al Ain and a productive training block, Al Serkal entered the tournament with confidence.

As the first Emirati woman to compete in the GM category at the event, her performance marks a milestone for UAE chess.

“Ending with three wins felt really special,” Rouda said. “I’m leaving stronger than I arrived, even if I could have done better.”