Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ALL roads lead to Gifford High School from June 20 to 22, as the city hosts the second edition of the Proud “Wawa” Moyo Memorial Chess Tournament, a high stakes, FIDE-rated event in honour of the late local chess enthusiast who passed away in 2020.
Organised by the Bulawayo Chess Association (BCA) in collaboration with the Sayi Technical Foundation, the tournament is a tribute to Proud “Wawa” Moyo, whose passion for the game left a lasting impression on the local chess scene. He died at just 28, but his legacy is proving immortal on the board.
With registration closing on June 17, excitement is building for what promises to be one of the most competitive chess tournaments on the domestic calendar.
“This is a big tournament. We have good players coming through to participate,” said BCA Director of Ratings and tournament director Thamsanqa Moyo. “We are expecting IMs (International Masters), FIDE Masters. We already have one IM registered for the tournament, which means we are making good progress. The prizes are also good, and we will definitely be having more people batting for number one, increasing competition.
“We now have more sections for this event as well. It increases everyone’s morale,” Moyo added.
Last year’s inaugural edition featured only one category, the Open Section. This year, the tournament has expanded to include four categories: the Open Section, Ladies’ Section, Under-16 Prestige, and the Development Section.
The Open Section is open to all players regardless of age or gender and will see the champion pocketing R10 000, with second and third place taking home R2 500 and R1 500 respectively. Fourth to sixth places will earn R1 000, R700, and R500, while the “Best Madala” will walk away with R500.
In the Ladies’ Section, the winner will claim R1 800, second place gets R1 200, and third takes home R800. Fourth and fifth positions will earn R500 and R300.
The Under-16 Prestige Section offers R800 to the winners (boys and girls), R500 for runners-up, and R300 for third-place finishers.
In the Development Section, which caters for Under-12 and Under-10 boys and girls, the winners will receive R400, while second and third place will take home R300 and R200 respectively.
The defending champion is Mlungisi Mafu, who will be looking to retain his crown in what’s shaping up to be a fiercely contested event.
