North, South identify chess championships reps
The Southern and Northern chess leagues have identified their representatives for the National Championships, which will act as qualifiers for the World Chess Olympiad slated for this August in Tromso, Norway.
The Central Region Chess League (CRCL) will complete their qualifiers this weekend at the Kamuzu Institute for Sports (KIS).
SRCL finalised their qualifiers on Sunday at the Sports Council in Blantyre where Alfred Chimthere led the male players’ pack with 6.5 points from seven games.
He has made it into the national encounters alongside his runner-up Richard Chiona (5.5points), third-placed Gerald Mphungu (5.5points), fourth-placed Stanley Mpinganjira (4.5points) and fifth-placed Ackim Chihana (4points).
The contest involved 16 players that triumphed during the league’s initial qualifiers last week.
In the ladies section, Gondwe maintained an unbeaten run in five encounters to amass 4.5 points.
She won four matches before drawing with fourth-placed Margaret Ngugama who collected 3.5points.
Former Lab Enterprises Chess champion Ellen Mpinganjira emerged second with 4 points, the same as third-placed Lucy Chazemba Jailosi but were separated by a bulccholz tiebreaker.
Ndawonga Mwale and Tumpale Mhango also made it on the list for emerging on fifth and sixth places with two points and a single point respectively.
In the North, Fiskani Mwagomba made it in the men’s category alongside his runner-up Wilson Chingati, third-placed Innocent Salanjira, fourth-placed Raymond Chitedze and fifth-placed Overton Kanyinji.
The ladies category has slotted in Linda Jambo, Getrude Chaomba, Tadala Kusowela and Faye Nyirenda.
The events were also used as qualifiers for the imminent Paul-Mike Chess Championships and Chiona has taken the only available slot for the South for being runner-up in the men’s category.
The place was initially meant for the winner Chimthere but he was already seeded for being last year’s finalist. Mwagomba will represent the North.
The country’s five representatives at the 2012 Chess Olympiad in Turkey, namely Joseph Nyambalo, Chiletso Chipanga, Joseph Mwale, Paul Kuphwatheya and Richard Mbedza have been seeded for the national finals.
