TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) – Morteza Mahjoub and Shadi Paridar, the two representatives of Iran in the West Asian men’s and women’s chess competitions in the United Arab Emirates, occupied the top spots in the fifth round Friday.

Mahjoub managed to checkmate Kheirullah Faisal from Lebanon to tie with the UAE’s Taleb Musa at No. 1 in men’s category with four points out of five matches.

In women’s class, Paridar won her fifth clash against Fatima al-Hemadi to stand top with 4.5 points.

The Dubai-based West Asian chess contests will run through October 12.