Bachar Kouatly is a French Grandmaster (GM) of chess who was born on 3rd October 1958 in Damascus, Syria. He made a mark in the chess world by becoming the first Arab player to attain the title of International Grandmaster, which he received in 1989. As a young prodigy, Kouatly bagged the France Junior Championship twice, once in 1975 and again in 1976.
Kouatly was an active player in the 1979-81 French Chess Championships, winning the competition in the last year. His successes then led to his participation in the worldwide Interzonal of Moscow (1982) and Taxco (1985). He played in the Chess Olympiads from 1984 to 2004, representing France.
After his playing career, Kouatly transitioned to organizational roles and has shaped the chess world significantly in these positions. He was the co-founder of Association pour le Rayonnement des Activités des Échecs (ARACE) and has run the notable chess magazine, Europe Echecs, since 1988. In 2014, he was elected as the President of the French Chess Federation.
Furthermore, in 2017, he was elected a Vice-President of FIDE, the international chess federation. He has been instrumental in establishing connections between FIDE and the Arabian chess world. His tenure has emphasized development work in Africa especially, aiming to popularize chess on the continent and yield high-level players.