Children will compete using watches that follow the Fischer system, which provides a 10-minute time limit.
The first children's chess tournament in Mecca, organized by the Saudi Chess Club, starts today at the King Abdulaziz Sports City.
About 60 children aged 5 to 12 from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, India and other countries are taking part in the tournament.
Children will compete using watches that follow the Fischer system, which provides a 10-minute time limit.
The Fischer system refers to the old style of chess, in which the pieces are arranged in a fixed position of rook, knight, bishop, queen and king.
The Saudi Chess Federation retweeted the tournament schedule originally published by the Saudi Chess Club.
The one-day chess tournament will consist of four rounds from 19:00 to 20:30. The winners will be announced at 21:00.
Yasser Al-Otaibi, tournament director and club chairman, said that every participating child will receive a voucher worth 100 Saudi riyals (US$26) to support their love of the game.
Learning chess, one of the oldest and most popular board games, improves children's academic skills, memory and patience. It also develops their ability to focus, plan ahead and solve problems.
The first Saudi chess tournament for children, organized by the Saudi Intellectual Sports Committee, was held in 2017.
The first adult chess tournament in Saudi Arabia was held in 2018, with 250 male and 50 female players taking part. The Saudi Chess Federation established a prize of 125,000 riyals for the winners.