The competition attracted participants who had made it through from qualifiers held earlier on. Mudongo won P4, 000, a medal and trophy. She said that the competition was extremely tough, as the pairing did not favour her, as she had to play the strongest players in the last rounds. "I was under pressure. I am only 0.5 ahead of the silver medallist Kgalalelo Botlhole," she said.The 34 year old said that she is targeting the World Cup, as she has never qualified for it. Mudongo was disqualified in 2007 in the last round of the World Cup as her cellphone rang, which meant she had breached one of the rules.
On the other hand, Njobvu said it was the first time to experience such stiff competition as the winner had to be decided in the last round unlike previous years where the winner would be known by round eight. Njobvu last won the title in 2003.The Fide Master was leading the pack until round 6 where another Fide Master Phemelo Kheto beat him. He added that he was using the tournament as practice for the upcoming Zone 4.3 Championships scheduled for April 30-May 9 which Botswana is to host. Further, the zonal competitions give one a chance of getting an IM title and they are also the gateway to the World Cup.
