Katara Ramadan Championship for traditional board games Dama and Kirm at Katara – Cultural Village concludes on Thursday.
Katara general manager Prof Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti and other officials attended the opening ceremony on Tuesday night. Mohamed Saad al-Sulaiti, director of the Dama Council, noted that the Dama Championship consists of two categories: one for professionals with four players, and the other for amateurs with six players.
The qualifications are based on points, where the winning player receives three points, and one point is awarded to each player in case of a tie. In the finals of the competition, points are counted, and in case of a tie, a tie-breaker match is held, and the winner gets the first place.
Al-Sulaiti recalled that the game of Dama was historically popular in Qatar and the rest of the GCC region during the pearl diving period, and it spread in the Levant, North Africa and Turkiye. It has several names and is one of the competitive games played by two individuals on a playing table. The game relies on intelligence, sharpens the mind, and requires focus to win, and was played by those returning from diving trips.
As for the Kirm Championship, eight professional players aged 40 and above participate, selected from the best players from various parts and majlises in Qatar.
