CABS CHESS TOURNEY BEGINS

Takudzwa Chitsiga

Zimpapers Sports Hub

THE annual CABS Candidates Chess Tournament begins today at Christian Brothers College in Bulawayo with several top players expected to take part in the three day event.

It will serve as a qualifier for next year’s national championships.

The tournament comes barely a week after Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) successfully hosted the All Africa Youth Championships, in Harare.

Speaking at a media briefing, ZCF president Todd Mapingire outlined the logistical framework and the challenges the federation faced in attracting a strong field.

“The tournament is wholly used to be a candidates’ event, not a sponsorship driven one,” he said.

“Consequently, the prize fund would normally be drawn from registrations, which means we needed a competitive purse to draw players away from work and to make the event attractive to national level competitors.

“However, we are glad that with CABS coming on board for the fourth year running, they have come with a financial relief package that goes towards prize monies.”

Mapingire added that the registration window closed on Tuesday, allowing officials ample time to finalise the entry list before play begins.

The prize structure, while modest compared with international circuits, is intended to encourage participation from both experienced players and emerging talent.

“We have a growing number of Under 16 players entering the tournament section, and we have arranged accommodation for out of town participants,” Mapingire said.

Meanwhile, Kenya head of delegation for the recently held All-Africa Youth Championships, Rodah Olisah has hailed the Zimbabwe Chess Federation for successfully hosting the event.

Kenya won the tournament by scooping 10 medals and made history, as they won the 16th edition of the tournament, which was held at Dominican Convent in Harare.

Kenya grabbed first position out of the 16 participating countries with a record haul of 10 medals; four gold medals; two silver and four bronze medals.

Olisah said she was happy that the players did well and managed to make the country proud.

“I am very grateful to ZCF for successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Youth Chess Championships which we won as Kenya.

“We had a very good team that ranged from under-eight to the under-18. The players did us proud and we received a hero’s welcome back home for our triumph.

“The country Zimbabwe successfully hosted the event which saw several young chess players taking part.

“We are looking forward to next year’s edition and continue molding more young chess players,” said Olisah.