FIDE Master Gillian Bwalya says qualifying to the World Cup Chess Championship is the beginning of more hard work.

Bwalya qualified to the World Championships set for Norway in August after winning the Zone 4.3 Championship in Botswana.

Bwalya, who described the just-ended championship as a "tough tournament", said he was bracing himself for tougher competition at the World Championships.

"It was tough but it's the beginning of tougher assignments," Bwalya said in an interview.
He said he would prepare for the World Championship with a good performance at the Commonwealth Chess Championship in South Africa in July.

"I have to start with the Commonwealth Chess Championship and from there; I can declare myself ready for the world championships”. Bwalya says he wants to earn a diploma in business, but he also wants to promote chess, which is wildly popular in Zambia. “Sometimes I am the headlines for sport in my country,” he said. “Any contribution I can make, I am happy. I don’t have a computer to help me train but am poised to cause major upsets at the World Cup by being the first African players to qualify to go into the second round”

Bwalya, who was unbeaten at the Zone 4.3 championship, won the title after drawing his last two games against fellow FIDE Master Ignatius Njobvu and chess master Gumbo Thabo, both of Botswana, to finish the tournament with eight points from nine rounds of play.

Zimbabwe's Makoto Rodwell finished in second place with 5.5 points.

And Chess Federation of Zambia general secretary Chanda Nsakanya said the federation would support Bwalya to ensure he performs well at the World Cup Championships set for Norway in August.

"We have to find him a local coach and ensure he performs well in the Commonwealth championship and the world championships," Nsakanya said.

Nsakanya said the federation would also apply for Bwalya to be conferred with the International Master title.

He becomes the third Zambian player to have qualified at the World Cup Chess Championship after GM Amon Simutowe and IM Stanley Chumfwa.

FIDE Master Gillian Bwalya remained on course to win the 2013 Zone 4.3 Chess Championship after recording his seventh successive victory that saw him maintain leadership on seven points.

Bwalya beat Olebile Thato of Botswana to consolidate top slot ahead of Candidate Master Solomon Deon from South Africa, who is on 5 points while Makoto Rodwell of Zimbabwe is on 4.5 points.

The Zambian star is set to play FM Ignatius Njobvu in the eighth round of the competition with Deon Solomon taking on IM Oatlhotse Providence of Botswana who is on 4 points.

It is a sad story in the women category as Zambia’s Constance Mbatha who has managed 1.5 points out of a possible 5 points.

As Mbatha is languishing on 1.5 points, WCM Charlie Van Zyl is leading the chart on 4.5 points while WIM Oikhutso Mudongo of Botswana with her fellow Tswana Tshepiso Lopang are in joint second position on 3.5 points.

FIDE Master (FM) Gillian Bwalya finished with his winning ways recording three successive victories at the Casablanca chess festival in South Africa to move into third position.

Bwalya, playing his seventh game on the board four, made short work off International Master (IM) Providence Othlotse of Botswana in an entertaining game before going on to beat another IM in David Gluckman in the eighth round. Round nine saw the FIDE Master outclassing CM Dion Moyo of Zimbabwe.

Other games saw Zambia’s Candidate Master (CM) Andrew Kayonde bouncing back to winning ways, after his seventh round defeat to South Africa’s FM Nicholas Van Der Nat, beating IM Johannes Mabusela and FM Donovan Van Den Heever both of South Africa in the eighth and ninth rounds respectively to move into fourth place on five points.

South Africa’s FM Van Der Na topped the table on seven points and was closely followed by country mate CM Daniel Cawdrey was on six and half points. Zambia’s Bwalya trailed in the third position on 5.5 points leaving Zambia’s (CM) Andrew Kayonde in fourth on five points

In what appears to be a dress rehearsal at the Capablanca,  Bwalya travels to the Zone 4.3 Chess Championships ROUND 1 Starts on 1 May 2013 at 14pm to meet Rodwell Makoto, Johannes Mabusela and Providence Othlotse

Official Opening is set for 11:30am Oasis Motel Tlokweng. Below is the players list (the list will be updated today as players arrive). Kindly join the BCF in wishing them a safe travel to our Home Land Botswana:

Botswana Ladies

WGM Tuduetso Sabure.
WIM Modongo Boikhutso.
WIM Lopang Tshepiso
WCM Thapelo Francis
WCM Francis Onkemetse

Zambia Ladies 

Mbatha Constance

South Africa Ladies

WCM Tiffany Alguhas
WCM Charlize van Zyl
WFM Aleida de Bruyn

Botswana Men
IM Oatlhotse Providence
FM Ndjobvu Ignatius
Olebile Thato
CM Gumpo Thabo
Tangani Goabaone

South Africa Men
IM Mabusela Johannes
CM Deon Solomons
Klaseen Calvin

Zambia Men
FM Bwalya Gillan

Namibia Men 
Khoa T. 

Zimbabwe Men 
FM Makoto Rodwell

The African  Chess  Union  and  Tunisian  Chess  Federation  (TCF)  are  pleased  to  invite  all  African  Chess Federations affiliated to FIDE and ACU to participate at the African Open Individual Chess Championship and African Individual Women’s Chess Championship. The Championships will be held in Tunis, the dates are May17th (day of arrival) until May 28th 2013 (day of departure).

PARTICIPATION - Players holding the title of GM, WGM or WIM have the right to enter the tournament. Each National Federation can enter a maximum of 3 players for the Open championship and 3 for the

Women’s championship.- The African Chess Union President also has the right to nominate players. All entries must be registered with the TCF and in addition FIDE.

 ENTRY FEES - All players are required to pay an entry fee of 70 € each. Payment of entry fees must be made to the organizers at the time of registration. The organizers will issue a receipt and forward this payment to the FIDE treasurer/Continental Event

APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION - Entry Forms must be completed by the National Federations and should be returned to the Organizing Committee not later than 30th April 2013.The complete registration form must include the surnames, first names, FIDE titles, FIDE ID number, FIDE rating and total number of players and accompanying persons. The completed form must also include the name and telephone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses of the Chief of Delegation and of the person in charge of the federation. All travel expenses must be paid by the participants or their National Federations. The organizers will provide transportation from the Carthage International Airport to the HOTEL on May 17rd and back to the Airport on May 28th.

All players and accompanying persons must pay the Organizers an organization fee of 100 € when registering upon their arrival. This payment is mandatory and confirms participation. Late entries will be accepted till  17 May 013 with a penalty of 50 € payable to the organizing Federation.

ACCOMMODATION AND PLAYING VENUE- The accommodation for players and officials is a 4th STARS Hotel. The tournament venue shall be the in the same hotel. The Hotel is 15 km from City Centre and 10 km from CARTHAGE International Airport. All participants (players, officials and accompanying persons) are required to lodge at the official lodges. Lodging for all players and accompanying persons will cost:

a) In Twin rooms: € 70.00 per person per day, 3 meals per day included. b) In single rooms: € 85.00 per person per day, 3 meals included.

NB: Early arrivals and late departures will be at the participants charge.

All players (invited, nominated or qualified by right) and accompanying persons are required to meet the costs of their accommodation. Delegations opting to make their hotel payments upon arrival in Tunisia should ensure that all payments are made in accordance with the indicated rates. All these payments should be in EURO (or US dollars equivalent) In case a participating Federation does not wish to use an official hotel for their members, an additional payment of 100 Euro per person who requires accreditation must be included with the registration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

The  organizer  can  only  guaranty  accommodation  for  a  specific  hotel  when  the  reservation  and payment has been made on time. Regarding this we are asking all Federations to make all necessary reservations and payments on time.

SYSTEM AND RATE OF PLAY  - The championship format will be a SWISS System tournament played over 9 (NINE ROUNDS) in accordance with FIDE Regulations. Rate of play will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with addition of 30 seconds per move from move one

TIE BREAK - In both events, if there is a tie for the medal winners and/or the qualifiers for the World Cup, these ties will be resolved in the following order;

a) By the results between the players involved in the tie b) Buchholz, the highest number wins;

c) Number of wins, the highest number wins; d) Number of wins by black, the highest wins e) The highest rating

There will be no tie break matches

WORLD CUP 2013 QUALIFICATION - The 2013 African Individual Championship is a qualification event for the World Chess Cup 2013, to take place in Tromso, Norway, 10th August / 5th September. The top 3 players  of the Open tournament will be the African Qualified.

 Arbiters and Appeals Committee - The Chief Arbiter of the Open will be IA Wajdi CHOUARI and the Chief Arbiter  of the Ladies ‘Championships will be IA Bechir MESSAOUDI. The Appeals’ Committee will consist of 3 members and 2 reserves chosen from among the participating delegations.

PRIZES:  US Dollars


Men:                                                          Women:

1st Prize     6,000                                          2,500

2nd Prize   5,000                                          2,000

3rd Prize    3,500                                          1,000

4th Prize     2,700                                             750

5th Prize     2,200                                             500

6th Prize     1,500                                             250

7th Prize     1,000                                             250

8th Prize       800                                             250

9th Prize      700                                              250

10th Prize    600                                              250

11th Prize    500

12th Prize    500

13th Prize    500

14th Prize    500

15th Prize   500

16th Prize   500

17th Prize   250

18th Prize   250

19th Prize   250

20th Prize   250

Prizes will be paid into the bank accounts of the winner

INFORMATION ABOUT VISA - Delegates from other countries, who require entry visas into Tunisia, may obtain them from Tunisian Embassies.   The host Federation will arrange for official invitations to facilitate applications for those countries that need special invitations. Should there be any problems in obtaining entry visas; the intending travelers should immediately contact the TCF, for assistance by email  tcf@ati.tn

It is advisable that this invitation letter be carried by players when crossing through Tunisia borders as this may help in having many questions answered.

CLIMATE - The weather in Tunisia in May is mild enough to enjoy all that the Mediterranean resorts have to offer without working up a sweat. The lodging and playing venue will have excellent air-conditioning facilities.

TOURNAMENT OFFICE

All necessary information can be send by mail: tcf@ati.tn, as well as in the tournament office.

Tunisian Chess Federation:  00 216 71 784 100

Organizer: Chedly RAHMANI : rahmani_chedly@yahoo.fr

Treasurer: Kais CHELLI : kais.chelli@gmail.com

Contact Person: Kais CHELLI -  Mobile phone:    00 216  55 114245

 

INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Daniel Jere and Women Fide Master (WFM) Epah Tembo concluded their CUCA international chess championship in Angola on a bad note losing their final round games in their respective categories.

After recording victories in the eighth round when he check-mated Thal Abergel of France, IM Jere failed to replicate the performance, only to fall prey to Grand Master (GM) Karpatchev Aleksandr of Russia.

The Zambian chess ace lost round nine of the games after meeting his match in the final round on Friday with the defeat seeing him move him into sixth position, on five points.

Jere shares points with Abergel and Aleksandr who are in fifth and seventh positions respectively.

The Zambian chess master has a record of nine matches, six wins, one draw and two defeats.

GM Tkachiev Vladislav of France tops the log on seven points, Egyptian GM Adly Ahmed is in second position on six and half points while GM Malakhatko Vadim of Belgium and Russia’s GM Papin Vasily settled for third and fourth position respectively on six and five and half points.

In the women’s category, Women International Master (WIM) Tembo was humiliated by Cecile Van der Merwe of South Africa in the ninth round match

Tembo, who was playing on board four, lost her guard to Merwe who saw the best of her to land herself 13thwith four points on the women’s rankings.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s Lorita Mwango ended her championship on a winning note beating Rosalina Sónia of the host nation to move into fifth position on five points.

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl from Mwinilunga in North-Western Province caused major upsets during the inter-provincial school chess championships which were held in Ndola last weekend and managed to finish with 4.5 points in a seven round Swiss system Championship.

Royce Kajinga, a grade two pupil at Nyangombe Primary School in Mwinilunga, was selected for the under 13 junior chess competition from the province after she outclassed other girls in inter-schools, zone and inter-district competitions.

According to her father, Elvis Kajinga, Royce was one of five girls representing the province in the junior championships.

Chess was part of the many sports disciplines which was competed in at the inter-provincial schools competition.

Kajinga, a sports teacher, said in an interview that he taught her daughter how to play chess only two months ago and that he is amazed by how fast she has grasped the game.

“I see that my daughter has a very bright future because she has proved that she can play and compete effectively within a short time,” he said.

Kajinga also said his daughter excels in school, always topping her class. “She is being used as a role model by her teacher as she helps her fellow pupils in literacy and numeracy lessons,” Kajinga added. His other daughter, Jane, 11, was also in the team.

AFTER Tuesday’s setback, Daniel Jere made a strong comeback to win one and draw the other game on Wednesday to move up to fifth on the standings at the on-going Cuca International tournament in Angola.
The Zambian International Master (IM) has amassed four points after playing seven rounds and is in fifth position behind four Grand Masters (GMs).
Jere, who played white pieces in his round six game, defeated fellow IM Amorim Agnelo of Angola on board five in the morning to improve his points tally to 3.5 and in the afternoon, he split the point with Zimbabwe’s top chess player, IM Robert Gwaze.
Jere played Gwaze on board four. The draw meant he moved up the standings to fifth position on four points while Gwaze, who had lost in round six, is on 3.5 points.

Zambian Champion Gillan Bwalya and Andrew Kayonde are competing in the 2013 Casablanca Open Chess Festival in Pretoria, South Africa
.
Bwalya and Kayonde are competing in the Prestige International Master (IM) Norm section comprising 10 players from southern Africa and it is a round robin championship.
Chess Federation of Zambia (CFZ) secretary, Chanda Nsakanya, said in Pretoria yesterday that the duo are already competing in the 10-player championship.
The players to play in the Casablanca Festivals Prestige IM Norm Section are Providence Otlohoatse of Botswana, Nicholas van der Nat, Johannes Mabusela, Daniel Cawery, Donovan van der Heever, David Gluckman (all South Africa), Rodwell Makoto and Dion Moyo (Zimbabwe).


You can follow the games live on http://www.gnchess.co.za/Livetournament/tfd.htm 

ZAMBIA’S chess International Master (IM) Daniel Jere slipped to fifth on the standings after losing and drawing his third and fourth rounds games on Monday at the on-going 2013 Cuca International tournament in Angola.

Jere had a bright opening two rounds but his winning streak was halted by Egyptian Grand Master (GM) Ahmed Adly in round three before recovering to force a draw off Belgian GM Vadim Malakhatov. Jere lost to Adly on board two.
Before Jere drew his game with Malakhatov in round four, the Belgian GM had lost his previous game to French GM Vladislav Tkachiev on board one.
The Zambian is now on 2.5 points after four rounds, a point behind French GM Vladislav Tkachiev and Adly.
GM Abergel Thal of France was on three points and in third position.
Jere remains to compete on the top tables and the Zambian IM was on board two on black pieces against GM Tkachiev in round five while GM Thal had white pieces playing GM Adly on board one.
Zimbabwe’s IM Robert Gwaze had two points after four rounds and was paired to play Joao Simoes of Angola.
But it was joy for Zambia Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Lorita Mwango who won both her matches on Monday to move to fourth place in the Cuca Women International championship.
Mwango has three points, half a point behind joint leaders Woman Grand Masters (WGM) Anna Zozulia of Belgium and Katarzyna Toma of Poland.
Paired against easy opponents, the seed eight Mwango took full advantage of her position to reap off 16th seed Luzia Pina of Angola and a seed 15 Portuguese WFM Marita Valdes in rounds three and four respectively.
But it was tough going for WFM Epah Tembo who drew in round three but lost her next game.
In round three, she drew with Women International Master (WIM) Boikhutso of Botswana but lost to lowly ranked Irineia Gabriel of Angola.
In round five, Tembo was to play the Portuguese Valdes with Mwango facing the top seed Zozulia.