Online Reporter
Tendai Chara
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE JR Mawere chess championship will for the first time feature participants drawn from across Southern Africa on 29 August.
The tournament will be held in Kwekwe in honour of the city’s late former mayor, Johnstone Rex Mawere.
Todd Mapingire, the Zimbabwe Chess Federation president, is expected to grace the event.
Speaking about the event’s growth, Blessings Njerama, the tournament’s technical director and chief arbiter, said the organisers had set out to expand the championship beyond local borders.
“As organisers, our target was to make this tournament a regional one within five years. We met our targets and I am confident that we are now capable of hosting regional players,” Njerama said.
He expressed confidence that the tournament will continue to grow and attract some of the biggest names in chess.
“The regional transition is the first step. Our target is to host Grandmasters here in Kwekwe and to continue being a platform for players to earn titles and improve their rankings,” he said.
In April, the Mawere family hosted the JR Mawere U1900 FIDE Rated Chess Tournament at Kwekwe Primary School.
The tournament was oversubscribed, featuring players with FIDE ratings below 1900.
