PIS chess to produce Malawi’s Zone 4.3 reps

Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) says it will use the Presidential Initative on Sports (PIS) Championship to build a national team that will compete during the Zone 4.3 Games the country is expected to host in Blantyre in December.

This year’s PIS Chess Championship, which starts with Southern Region  qualifiers at St Patrick’s Academy in Blantyre this Saturday, is expected to comprise pupils in under 12 and 16 categories for boys and girls.

Intermediate players, whose rating is under 1800, will also have a fair share of the PIS cake as they will compete in their own open and ladies’ categories, whose qualifiers will be conducted on May 12 at a venue to be communicated later.

Each of the country’s three regions is supposed to produce 10 players per category with an additional two players for the hosts.

“Our future lies in developing the players from the grassroots level. Therefore, as a way of fulfilling our mission, we will use the PIS to build our national team for the Zone 4.3 Games, which we will host in December,” said Chessam schools’ coordinator Magret Ngugama.

Chessam spokesperson Makhosi Nyirenda said the focus on development chess comes after overwhelming interest in the mental sport among schools in the country. n