Mudongo reserves best for last

Shingirai Madondo | Friday March 7, 2014 15:00

 

The finals take place during the Easter Holidays.

Though she is in the less competitive women section, Mudongo seems to have been struggling in the qualifiers. She has failed to play like a title chess master in the first round in Gaborone and the second Francistown.

The 35-year-old WIM collected 4.5 points from seven outings and was the sixth best player out of 10. Little known 16-year-old Mater Spei student, Malebogo Sokisi performed better, finishing third.  Botswana Chess Federation spokesperson, Keenese Neoyame Katisenge said she was surprised by Mudongo’s performance.

She said when she asked the player what is going on, she declared that she was playing mind games. “Chess is a game of mind. So it is obvious that players should wise up when planning for their opponents.

There is no point for me to sweat at this stage of the tournament. I only have to ensure that I have gathered enough points to take me to the finals,” Mudongo said. She said chess drains a lot of the players’ energy because one has to think long and hard.

The Tonota-born player stated that she is reserving her energy for the finals. “Chess drains a lot of our energy. Spending time gazing at that chess board and plotting against your opponent at the same time racing against time is really tiring,” she said.