Lebanese Chess Championship
The first official Lebanese Chess Championship was held in 1953. Lebanese chess players had organized a tournament in 1943 to determine an unofficial champion, won by Charles Salameh. In 1953 Salameh also won the first official championship tournament. The championship has been held regularly, except in the war years of 1969, 1973, and 1975 to 1991. Edgard Chalabi's death caused the 1963 championship to be skipped, and no championship was held in 2006. The women's championship began in 1994.
Men and women play together in a single tournament. The top scorer wins the men's (overall) championship, the top female scorer wins the women's championship. In 2005, 22 year old WIM Knarik Mouradian became the first woman to win the men's championship, winning eight games, drawing three, and losing none (9.5/11). FM Ahmad Najjar finished second. In 2007 they exchanged places, with Najjar winning the men's championship with 8.0/9 and Mouradian in second place a half point behind with 7.5/9 to win the women's championship.
Results
| Year | Men's Champion | Women's Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Charles Salameh | – |
| 1955 | Georges Malias | – |
| 1956 | Edgard Chalabi | – |
| 1957 | Serge Majarov | – |
| 1958 | Edgard Chalabi | – |
| 1959 | Carlos Maalouf | – |
| 1960 | Serge Majarov | – |
| 1961 | Fares Farah | – |
| 1962 | Serge Majarov | – |
| 1964 | Charles Salameh | – |
| 1965 | Jacques Bedros | – |
| 1966 | Maurice Gabriel | – |
| 1967 | Antoine Ghaleb | – |
| 1968 | Charles Salameh | – |
| 1970 | Samir Sursock | – |
| 1971 | Samir Sursock | – |
| 1972 | Andre Tarazi | – |
| 1974 | Safwan Akkari | – |
| 1992 | Samir Sursock | – |
| 1993 | Mounir Tawbeh | – |
| 1994 | Fadi Eid | Danielle Ghattas |
| 1995 | Antoine Kassis | Suzan Mouradian |
| 1996 | Ahmad Najjar | Knarik Mouradian |
| 1997 | Mansour Assaf | Knarik Mouradian |
| 1998 | Fadi Eid | Knarik Mouradian |
| 1999 | Ahmad Najjar | Suzan Mouradian |
| 2000 | Abdulaziz Mahmoud | Knarik Mouradian |
| 2001 | Haytham Omar | Knarik Mouradian |
| 2002 | Faysal Khairallah | Suzan Mouradian |
| 2003 | Faysal Khairallah | Suzan Mouradian |
| 2004 | Faysal Khairallah | Knarik Mouradian |
| 2007 | Najjar Ahmad | Knarik Mouradian |
| 2010 | Hajj Sleiman Ali | Knarik Mouradian |
References
- Lebanese Champions from the Lebanese Chess Federation official site