adminNgqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe International Chess Open gets off the blocks in Harare tomorrow with over 30 local and international masters expected to take part in what has been billed a tight contest. Zimbabwe Chess Federation chief arbiter and tournament organiser Clive Mphambela said they were ready to host the international event that will run until Sunday.The highlight of the weeklong event will be the grandmasters competition in which international masters from Southern Africa will battle it out in the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa-backed event.
Mphambela said the event will go down in history as the tightest affair in Southern Africa in 2015 as it will feature most of the big names in the sport in the Sadc region.
It is the first time the tournament will be rated by the World Chess Federation (Fide), a sign that Zimbabwe’s chess now matched international standards and the International Master (IM) Norm Section will feature players rated 2100 and above only.
Team Zimbabwe will be led by reigning Zimbabwe national chess champion IM Rodwell Makoto with Olympic and All-Africa Games chess gold medalist IM Robert Gwaze making a return to competitive chess after a two-year professional break.
United States-based IM Farai Mandizha together with locally-based Zimbabwe national chess team players Emarald Mushore, Miles Cochrane, Elisha Chimbamu, Spencer Masango, Erick Takawira, Lewis Kahoba and Kudakwashe Sibanda make up the rest of the team.
Zambia, whose players have won the competition in the past two years, confirmed participation and have named a strong squad comprising, IMs Chitumbo Mwali and Gillan Bwalya, who is the reigning Zimbabwe International Open chess champion after winning the 2014 edition.
IM Richmond Phiri, Kelvin Chumfwa, who won the 2013 Zim Open edition, Stanley Chumfwa, Daniel Jere and Fide Master Andrew Kayonde are part of the Zambian squad.
From South Africa there will be IM Johannes Mabusela, IM Dennis Ovcina, IM Jacob Dumisani Mnguni and IM Kgaugelo Mosetlhe, while Botswana are sending two top players, IM Providence Oatlhotse and the highly rated, Fide Master Olebile Thato.
The grandmasters’ tourney will be played at Ambassador Hotel while another venue POSB is expected to host the Open, ladies and scholars event that kick off on 1 January.
Registration for the Masters closed yesterday and the Open and Ladies entries close on 31 December registration fees have been set at $20, $15 and $5 respectively.
The total prize money for the top eight in the masters section has been set at $3 500 with the winner walking away with $1 200 while the total amount to be won in the Open section is $1 200 and $800 has been reserved for the ladies section.
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