adminMzingaye Sibanda Sports Reporter
THE stage is set for the Khami Prison chess tournament on Saturday. It was initially set for 27 July but because of the clash with national elections, it had to be postponed. The tournament was moved to this weekend to allow schools to open so that pupils can take part as well. The spokesman for Bulawayo Chess Association, Moses Mutipforo said all was now in place for the first ever teams’ tournament.
“So far so good, we have talked to the Khami Chess Club and they have assured us that everything is in place,” said Mutipforo.
The chess teams’ tournament is being held for the first time and it’s a move initiated to start a chess league as well as revive the sport in the region.
“We need to know the teams first so as to come up with an association and then we can start a Bulawayo Chess League, that’s why we have organised this tournament,” said Mutipforo.
The tournament will be played in five rounds, with a team of four players. A win will consist of two points and a draw one point. Pairing for each round will be done by Swiss computer pairing programme. Each round will be 40 minutes long and chess clocks will be used for tie breakers.
Registration fee is pegged at $30 per team.
Teams are still encouraged to register with the deadline set for tomorrow.
Bulawayo Polytechnic, Hillside Teachers College and School of Mines are among the teams that have registered to participate in the tournament so far.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo