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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
MINERVA Insurance have come on board to bail out Zimbabwe Chess Federation ahead of this year’s Zimbabwe Open Chess tournament which will be held on Saturday and Sunday at Joina City.
ZFC, who have many partners who came on board for the country’s premier chess tournament, will receive US$10 000 from the risk advisors’ entity.
The prestigious tournament is making a return after it was last held in 2019 before the Covid-19 national lockdown.
Minerva, who have since established themselves as loyal to sports as they also bailed out Special Olympics Zimbabwe by providing them with office furniture worth over $1 million, also gave the chess federation a venue to host the tournament.
The Zimbabwe Chess Open will have four categories which are the men and women Open section and the boys and girls Under-16 development competition.
Registration for the event started on Monday and by yesterday more than 60 players had committed to the tournament.
ZFC secretary-general, Toddy Mapingire, said they are happy that the tournament is attracting some international players.
“We are very happy that we will be hosting our second national tournament of the year after we successfully hosted the Easter Chess tournament back in April.
“We are very grateful to our main sponsor Minerva Risk Advisors who have pledged to support us and they have always done that before. The tournament has attracted some foreign players who are coming from Zambia. There are some locals who have been doing well at the international stage like Spenser Masango and International Master Rodwell Makota who we are expecting,” said Mapingire.
Online Reporter