Lebanon's next generation of chess stars

Across Lebanon, the up-and-coming generation of chess players is demonstrating that talent, discipline, and love for the game can carry a child to the international stage. The Lebanese chess community has become known for its camaraderie as much as its competitiveness, young players facing off across the board one moment and cheering each other on the next, all while chasing the same dream of representing their country with pride.

The Beiruter spoke with four names in particular who have been rising fast: Jad Eli Akl, Mohammad Darwish, Sarkis Dikran Zeitjian, and Adam Saadeddine. Each has a different story, a different style, and a different path into the game, but all four share the same rare combination of ambition and work ethic that is transforming Lebanese youth chess.

Jad Eli Akl: A fast rise built on discipline

At just 14 years old, Jad Eli Akl has emerged as one of Lebanon's most promising young chess players. What makes his story remarkable is how quickly he has achieved it. “ I played my very first chess tournament on October 15, 2023, and did not begin formal training until March 20, 2024,” he explained, meaning nearly all of his rise has unfolded in under two years.

That rise has been steep. In 2025, Jad captured his first major title, winning the Mount Lebanon Regional Chess Championship. “This year, I won the Lebanese National Chess Championship in my age category with a perfect score of 6 out of 6, not a single draw or loss across the entire event” he told The Beiruter. Earlier that same year, he earned the honor of representing Lebanon at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship in Montesilvano, Italy, where he tested his game against some of the strongest young players on the planet and returned home with invaluable international experience.

Jad is also an active member of the Keshmat community, a group where Lebanese players gather regularly to play, study, and trade ideas, the kind of environment that has clearly sharpened his game. Away from the board, Jad's focus doesn't stop at chess. “I play both piano and drums. They are a big part of who I am and my determination,” he expressed. 

For Jad, “the Lebanese chess community is recognized for its spirit of friendship and sportsmanship, with young players supporting and encouraging one another while striving for excellence.”

Mohammad Darwish: Consistency across the years

Born in 2014, Mohammad Darwish began learning chess in 2019, and what has defined his career since is remarkable consistency. He won several national championships across the years and has built an impressive international résumé. He represented Lebanon at the World Youth Chess Championship in Batumi, Georgia in 2022, at the Arab Youth Chess Championship in Tunisia in 2023, and again at the World Youth Chess Championship, this time in Kazakhstan, in 2025.  He is now preparing to represent Lebanon at the Arab Youth Chess Championship in Egypt later this month.

Mohammad's father tells The Beiruter, "Mohammad's chess journey began at the age of five, when I taught him the basic principles of the game. From the very beginning, his dream was to one day defeat me at the chessboard.".

Mohammad lives in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, and his path has not always been easy. "Despite the difficult circumstances in recent years, he never stopped training, even while displaced with his family to the United States." His ambitions remain undimmed: "His greatest ambition in chess is to one day become Lebanon's Open National Champion and, perhaps, an Arab Champion. Outside of chess, he dreams of becoming a doctor."

What keeps him coming back to the board, more than any title, is what the game represents. "What Mohammad loves most about chess is that it erases the boundaries between children and adults on the board, allowing a player's skill and character, not their age, to define them."

Sarkis Dikran Zeitjian: Lebanon's youngest rising talent

If there is a player among the four still writing the earliest chapters of his story, it is Sarkis Dikran Zeitjian, remarkably, still only eight years old. The Beiruter spoke with his father Dikran Zeitjian who revealed that “Sarkis began learning chess at just three years and ten months old, and played his first tournament only months later, at four years and eight months.”

Since then, he has collected a title at nearly every age level he has passed through: Lebanon champion in the Under-6 Boys category in 2023, Under-8 champion in 2025, and Under-10 champion in 2026, each one arriving right on schedule, or ahead of it.

“This year, Sarkis represented Lebanon at the World Youth Chess Championship in Batumi, Georgia, competing in the Under-10 Boys category despite being one of the youngest players in the entire field,” says his father. “I am more than proud of my son for he has achieved what may seem impossible to some,” he expressed.

Locally, Sarkis frequently plays up against older, more experienced opponents specifically to sharpen his skills faster. “This is how he nourishes his talent,” Zeitjian said.

Behind those results is a daily routine that his family helps him balance. "He trains 2 hours every day" That schedule is built carefully around the rest of his life: "As soon as he finishes his schoolwork, he dedicates time to chess, and time to the other entertainment activities he enjoys," his family explains, adding that "he is still an eight-year-old boy at the end of the day," and that his parents play an essential role in "organizing his schedule so he can keep up with everything."

The results have followed, for among players born in 2017 and 2018 across the Arab world, he currently holds the highest Classical (long time-control) chess rating in his category, a striking distinction for a player at merely eight years old.

Adam Saadeddine: Lebanon's top-rated under-18 player

Adam Saadeddine discovered his love for chess at the age of five, and in the years since has turned that early spark into one of the most outstanding junior careers in the country. "I am currently the highest-rated Lebanese player in Standard rating among all Under-18 players," Adam said, a status backed by his current FIDE Standard rating of 1993, a number that reflects, in his words, "continuous dedication, hard work, and determination to improve and compete at the highest level."

At 14, Adam has already represented Lebanon on the international stage four times, including two appearances at the World Youth Chess Championship, one at the Asian Youth Chess Championship, and one at the Arab Youth Chess Championship. "Competing against some of the strongest young players from around the world has strengthened my experience, broadened my understanding of the game, and further fueled my ambition to continue progressing in chess," he explains.

Among his achievements, one stands out as a personal milestone: at the Beirut Open, Adam was the only Lebanese player in the entire tournament to defeat a Grandmaster. "This accomplishment was a significant milestone in my chess journey," he says, "and demonstrated my ability to compete successfully against highly experienced and titled players." Looking ahead, Adam is clear about his ambitions: "My goal is to continue improving, represent Lebanon with pride on the international stage, and pursue even greater achievements in the years ahead."

A bright future for Lebanese chess

What ties Jad, Mohammad, Sarkis, and Adam together is the same relentless curiosity and work ethic that Lebanon's chess community has come to be known for. With every tournament, whether in Lebanon or overseas, they continue to raise expectations and redefine what young Lebanese chess players can achieve. Their medals and rankings tell part of the story, but the stronger impression is that they are only at the start of a journey with far greater milestones still ahead.