Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE BULAWAYO Chess Association (BCA) is basking in glory, after Tapiwa Jele etched his name into the history books, by winning the 2025 CBZ National Open Chess Championship, which concluded in Harare on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Jele became the first-ever player from Bulawayo to win the prestigious National Open title, a landmark achievement for the city’s chess community.
Jele clinched the championship on a count-out, after tying on seven points with Vitalis Mapuranga. Zhemba Jemusse, who also needed a count-out to edge Roy Mwadzura, took third place.
Thamsanqa Moyo, the BCA director of ratings and registrations, said the association was immensely proud of Jele’s ground-breaking achievement, which he believes will ignite belief among the city’s budding players.
“On behalf of BCA and our chairman, Liberty Moyo, I want to congratulate Tapiwa Jele for his marvellous performance in the CBZ National Championships. We are really proud of him because history has been made — having a Bulawayo player becoming a national champion.
This is a huge motivation to young, upcoming players,” said Moyo.
Jele received a warm welcome upon his return to Bulawayo on Sunday, landing at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport. In an interview with Zimpapers Sports Hub, he expressed gratitude to the Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF), the BCA and sponsors, who supported the event.
Having previously finished ninth and seventh in his only two appearances at the National Open, Jele said this victory was the result of months of preparation and determination.
“This is a big achievement for me. All the previous Bulawayo champions had failed to win the National Championship. Last year, I finished in seventh place and since September, I’ve been preparing for this. I am extremely proud,” said Jele.
“I am also grateful to the Zimbabwe Chess Federation and sponsors for making this possible.
I also want to thank the Bulawayo Chess Association for always supporting me. I never really expected to win because all the previous champions were there, so I thought one of them would take it.”
A passionate servant of the sport, Jele not only competes but also runs the Elite Players Chess Academy in Bulawayo, where he is nurturing the next generation of talent with an eye on producing more national champions.
While Jele celebrated a breakthrough in the men’s section, Christine Makwena continued her dominance in the women’s championship, successfully defending her CBZ National Open title.
Makwena finished with 7.5 points after nine rounds to claim her third career win in the tournament — and her second in a row.
Kudzanayi Chirinda followed with seven points, while Colletta Wakuruwarewa came third with six.
The championship, which started on Tuesday, featured 20 of Zimbabwe’s top players — 10 men and 10 women — battling it out for national honours.
@brandon_malvin
Bongani Ndlovu