Malawi chess team promises fireworks

A four-man Malawi chess team has finally arrived in Windhoek, Namibia where they are today expected to start a medal hunt in the Africa Individual Chess Championships.
South Africa-based whiz-kid Joseph Mwale, who topped the qualifiers list last month, will lead the team of Malawi’s highest rated player Joseph Nyambalo, candidate master Alfred Chimthere and highest ranked female player Vitumbiko Gondwe.
Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) president Kezzie Msukwa is also attending the eight-day continental showpiece.
Apart from winning mouth-watering prizes, the winner of the contest will automatically earn the grandmaster title.
“This is our only chance to earn the grandmaster title before the end of the year. We will thoroughly calculate every move of our opponents to ensure that we make no silly mistakes. The opportunity is so tempting,” said Nyambalo.
The last time Malawi participated in this Africa’s biggest chess event was in 2008, when Chimthere, Kajani Kaunda and Linda Jambo carried the country’s flag.
The event has attracted high-profile grandmasters from Egypt and Algeria, including Africa’s strongest chess player, Amin Baseem. n