Malawi to host African Chess Championship
Malawi will next month host the African Chess Championship at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe.
The tournament, scheduled for May 18 to May 28, will draw 60 players across Africa.
In an interview on Thursday, Chess Association of Malawi publicity secretary Alfred Chimthere said this will be the first time for the country to host the tournament.
He said: “We have won the right to host this tournament from Africa Chess Union. It’s a great honour for us as a country to host this tournament. This is an opportunity for us to do well at least finishing in the tournament.”
Chimthere said Africa Chess Union and the International Chess Federation will meet expenses for hosting the tournament.
Some of the names Malawi will be banking on are Joseph Mwale, Gerald Phungu, Chileso Chipanga, Linda Jambo Chaononga and Ellen Mpinganjira.
In an interview yesterday, Chipanga appealed for assistance for players to prepare for the tournament.
“We are yet to organise camp and this is worrying. We are doing individual training, but it’s not enough. With the tournament of this status, we need all the players to be in camp. We hope the executive will look into this as soon as possible,” he said.
