Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN inmates are geared up for the second Intercontinental Online Chess Championships for Inmates which starts today and ends tomorrow.
The two-day tournament is organised under the chess for freedom initiative by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and Cook County Chicago Sherriff Office in the United States of America.
In the inaugural edition of the tournament last year, Zimbabwean inmates finished in position two after narrowly losing against Mongolia to land the prestigious title and team Zimbabwe will be hoping to take it a step further in this year’s edition to be crowned world champions.
“We rally behind our inmates’ team,” posted Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) via Twitter.
A country is allowed to have up to three teams and Zimbabwe is in group four of the tournament alongside England 2, Bulgaria 3, Greece, Romania, Jersey (UK), Netherlands and Slovenia and the teams were grouped according to time zones. The tournament has eight groups.
The two top teams from each group will advance into the Championship Round (final groups) that will occur at the second day of the event, tomorrow, and the final groups are group A and B and the championship round will be a round-robin team where the top teams from both groups will play the final.
The goal of the Intercontinental On-line Chess Championship for Prisoners is to popularise chess as an efficient tool for re-integration of inmates. – Follow on Twitter @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter