Chessam revives club championships
Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) plans to revive club competitions by introducing National Club Championships.
According to Chessam spokesperson Makhosi Nyirenda, the club competition, which will be introduced in partnership with Kumudzi Centre, starts in April.
“We realised a long time ago that club competition is the soul of Malawi chess, but we couldn’t sustain it due to scarcity of club chess sponsorship,” he said.
Following the revival of club competition, all chess players, whether local or foreign-based, will have to be affiliated to a club.
He said players that are not affiliated to clubs will not be allowed to participate in individual chess tournaments.
“We are, therefore, urging all chess players to be affiliated to clubs that will, in turn, be registered with the regional league by March 30. Each club must have a minimum of eight players, including a lady and a junior player.
“Even foreign-based players must be affiliated to a club in the country, or else, they will lose the privilege of participating in all tournaments Chessam organises.
“Those serving Chessam suspensions must also seek club affiliation, but they will start participating only after their bans have expired,” he said.
Meanwhile, Southern Region Chess League(SRCL) has intensified its club registration campaign.
SRCL vice-chairperson Peter Jailosi yesterday posted on Facebook page Play Chess Malawi: “Be advised that there will be a club chess championship soon. Therefore, all SRCL players are encouraged to register their clubs as quickly as possible.”
Club chess competitions used to be active in the late 1990s when clubs such as Limbe Geniuses, Super Knights and Flying Horses were household names.
Kumudzi will officially disclose the sponsorship package for National Club Championships later this month.
