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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
RUSSELL Dzete won the fifth Bulawayo Chess Association (BCA) Winter Open tournament held at the Bulawayo Polytechnic on Saturday after scoring 5.5 points from seven games.
Dzete, a member of Bulawayo Chess Club, beat defending champion Tapiwa Jele, who finished second with 5.5 points, but was beaten through the Bucholtz tie break managing 29.5 compared to Dzete’s 30.
By winning the tournament, Dzete enhanced his chances of playing at the ultimate Bulawayo Championship in December, which is only open to the top 10 players, who would have accumulated most points throughout the year.
Dzete joins Jele, who won the Hillside Open in February, Easter Open winner Castro Sibanda, who also bagged the Independence title, and Africa Day Open champion Kudakwashe Sibanda.
Meanwhile, Devaj Masuku of Tennyson Primary School won his second consecutive development Under-9 title, scoring five points. The first runner-up was Makanaka Masanzu of Fairbridge.
The development over-9 years section was won by Fairbridge’s Brian Muronzvi. Fairbridge contributed the most number of participants with 72, while 12 were from Hwange’s Megawatt Primary School.
“We had a total of 186 participants of which more than half were primary and secondary school players. This shows that our plans to make chess popular among youngsters are going in the right direction and we will continue offering tournaments, which are a platform for youngsters to sharpen their skills,” said Moses Mutipforo, BCA spokesperson.
BCA’s next event is the Fairbridge Festival to be held on July 14.
Results
Open: 1. Russell Dzete, Bulawayo Chess Club (5.5 points), 2. Tapiwa Jele, Nkulumane Chess Club (5.5 points), 3. Dennis Mashukudu, Bulawayo Chess Club (5 points)
Women: 1. Mellisa Mpofu, Bulawayo Polytechnic (5 points), 2. Percy Nkatha, Bulawayo Polytechnic (4 points), 3. Carol Zhou, ZOU Chess Club (2 points)
Junior A (Form 4-6): 1. Sipho Moyo, Mzilikazi High School (4.5 points), 2. Victor Zikhali, Hamilton (4.5 points), 3. Marshall Nyamukondiwa, CBC (3.5 points)
Junior B (Form 1-3): 1. Thabiso Maphosa, Mpopoma High School (5 points), 2. Arnold Ncube, Premier High (4 points), 3. Israel Nyoni, Mzilikazi High School (3.5 points)
Development over-9 years: 1. Brian Muronzvi, Fairbridge Primary (5 points), 2. Tyler Koni, Mpumelelo Primary (5 points), 3. Gareth Sibanda, Mgiqika Primary (4.5 points)
Development under-9 years: 1. Devaj Masuku, Tennyson Primary (5 points), 2. Makanaka Masanzu, Fairbridge Primary (4 points), 3. Emanuel Msipha, Fairbridge Primary (3.5 points).
@ZililoR
Online Reporter