BCF spokesperson, Keenese Katisenge said the aim of parading the finalists is to provide feedback on the last two qualifying rounds and to communicate the profile of the top players. She said the idea is to create hype before the finals by introducing the contenders. She said BCF wants to attract chess fans to the finals through parading the top players. Fide Master, Ignatius Njobvu is the open section defending champion while Woman International Master, Boikhutso Mudongo holds the women title. The champions are expected to face stiff competition from the likes of Thato Olebile and Phemelo Khetho.
Katisenge said from the qualifying rounds, the federation has selected the top 10 men and women to fight for the coveted national title. She said this is the biggest event in the local chess calendar as BCF prepares to send a team to the chess Olympiad in August this year. Metropolitan Botswana has forked out P108,750 to sponsor the national championships. Katisenge said the company started sponsoring the annual event in 2006. This year, the prize money has been increased substantially with the open section champion earning P8,500 and the women’s champion taking home P5,500.
