Chess team breaks Olympiad jinx
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday September 29, 2026 09:36
International Master (IM) Providence Oatlhotse, who is the reigning national champion played on board one in the Open Section, where he faced the strongest players. After round 11, Oatlhotse had accumulated nine points and was ranked second amongst the players reflected in the Olympiad player standings, with a provisional rating gain of 41 Elo points. He is on his way to a rating of 2300 with his performance placing him amongst some of the world’s strongest players, including Grandmasters. The men’s team produced a defining moment in round one when Botswana held Brazil to a draw, with Oatlhotse beating Grandmaster Alexandr Fier , rated 2537 while Arnold Mothudi defeated IM Roberto Molina who is rated 2390. Mothudi’s performance earned him a FIDE Master (FM) title norm while in the Women’s Section, Maya Otimile also achieved the requirements for the Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title.
BCF president, Kutlwano Tatolo, revealed that in the beginning when they started team selection, one player dropped off and was replaced by a reserve. She also explaine they had disciplinary issues in the team and that was because in the past, players did not sign a code of conduct but conduct has always been a hindrance. Speaking to Sport Monitor, Tatolo said player did not take national team seriously and there was behaviour that cost them good performance. “This time around they had a conversation with the players about right conduct, right mindset and how they need to structure their training and they signed a code of conduct,” she added. “We also took measures to defend the team, integrity, behaviour in which we decided to bench one of the players due to conduct and replaced him with a reserve and showed the team that we were serious.
The level of concentration was high and that was a big contributor on how the team performed.” According to Tatolo, Botswana was one of the oldest federations in the Olympiad, even in terms of the conduct and how things were structured. She revealed the team was trained by a Grandmaster who was organised by FIDE to assist the players as they prepared for the Olympiad. Tatolo said she has a strict and focused administration, as players are doing well, the administration does not want to fail them and they do not want to fail her. The performance has marked a significant chapter in Botswana’s chess history and the country. Botswana has been competing in the Olympiad since 1982, but the 2026 edition has produced remarkable individual achievements and demonstrated the continued growth of the country’s chess on the international stage.
Meanwhile, Tatolo said BCF received huge support from their private sector partner, BetXplosion Botswana. The company made a contribution towards the development of the senior national team, which started during the 2026 National Chess Championship. She said it is the first time that a corporate sponsor has come on board and has seen the vision to improve Botswana chess in the long term, as well as being part of the senior national team for the entire period of participation at the Olympiad. The team arrives back home today (September 29).