SRCL sets Countrywide prizes

The Southern Region Chess League (SRCL) has set up prizes for the inaugural K300 000 Countrywide Car Hire Chess Tournament whose launch and finals will be conducted at the College of Medicine (CoM) in Blantyre this weekend.

At their meeting on Saturday, SRCL agreed that the three-category competition will see the top-five players in the men’s A category receiving K20 000, K15 000, K10 000, K7 500 and K5 000, respectively, while those in the men’s B section will get K7 500, K5 000, K3 500, K3 000 and K2 000, respectively.

The ladies section will be granted K9 000 for the winner whereas runner-up, third-placed and fourth-placed will get K7 500, K3 500 and K2 500, respectively.

According to SRCL interim vice-chairperson Duncan Manda, they have deliberately made prizes in the men’s B category attractive to encourage players who run away from tough competition in that category.

“We have a number of players who cling on to the less competitive men’s B category despite graduating into the men’s A section. After realising that they have slim chances of winning prizes in the elite category due to tough competition, they always flood to the developmental section.

“We, therefore, feel that the allocation of higher prizes to the men’s A section will at least help in enticing established players to contest in the elite division,” he said.

Manda added that the sponsors have added K60 000 on top of the K300 000 sponsorship for the facilitation of the launch ceremony on Saturday.

The SRCL conducted qualifiers for the event a week ago at CoM where Charles Chiwaya topped the 10-member contingent that made it into the finals in the men’s A section. Staple Jere will lead nine players in the men’s B section whereas Vitumbiko Gondwe will lead the ladies side.