Record entry expected for inaugural north chess open
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday September 14, 2018 12:54
The new kids on the block, Rock and Roll Chess Club, are the organisers of the tournament. The Palapye-based club was formed in March with 15 members, and has already competed in the Debswana league where it finished ninth.
The weekend tournament would be the last before the national team heads to Batumi, Georgia for the World Chess Olympiad.
The all-round Palapye tournament will have the open section, the women’s section, Under-18 boys and girls sections and the Under-10 boys and girls sections, and there will be prizes for all the winners. The winners of the open and women’s sections will walk away with P5,000 and P3, 500 respectively.
National team skipper, Providence Oatlhotse, Palapye prodigy, Besa Masaiti and her women’s national teammate, Ndachipiwa Kgomotso are some of the attractions at the tournament. Rock and Roll club secretary, Thapelo Tshiamiso said although others have not confirmed yet, they expect at least 90% of the national team players, as the tournament presents the final opportunity to prepare for the Olympiad. She said Oatlhotse and Masaiti were invited as chief guest players as they are seen as an inspiration to developing players. “Our young players will have the opportunity to get some inspiration from these top players on the eve of the tournament. We are exposing them to the rare talent we have so that they see the standards we set, are attainable,” she said.
“We are hoping the Russian and the Egyptian grandmasters will accompany the national team players and contribute to our development.”
She said the club was disappointed that only three junior players represented Palapye at the recent Debswana Junior finals held in the village. As a result, they have adopted Kediretswe Primary School, with a view to extending the gesture to other schools in future.
She said at least 50 young players from Kediretswe would be competing at the weekend tournament.
She said they have also fostered relationships with private schools in the village and nearby areas and are expecting players from these schools. She said they have held three mini-tournaments around the village and the parents have shown great interest and support. She said they had registered a number of participants from the village and registration from across the country has been encouraging. She said the tournament has been sanctioned by FIDE through Botswana Chess Federation, which makes it internationally recognised.
“The response has been overwhelming, in fact, we have also received hits from as far as Zambia and we are expecting a few players from there. It would be good competition for our national team players to test their resilience before they depart,” she said.
BIUST, Morupule Coal Mine, CCC/WBHO-JV, Project Africa and Cresta Botsalo Hotel are the tournament sponsors.