Muleso-Mphande chess final gets underway
Finally battle lines have been drawn as over 20 players compete for the inaugural Muleso- Mphande Open Chess Championship at Simama Hotel in Lilongwe.
The three-day tournament gets underway today and Chess Association of Malawi (Chessam) expects total silence around Simama Hotel as it turns into mind games battle field.
It is quite a jovial atmosphere in the Capital City as Central Region Chess Committee, denied sponsorship for a long time, is finishing dusting off its stack of chess boards which last came out a decade ago.
Sponsored to a tune of K600, 000 and a ‘South Africa tour for the champion’ promise attached, the event has attracted top players from across the country including household names Alfred Chimthere, Gerald ‘General’ Mphungu, Petros ‘Razorblade’ Mfune and Chiletso Chipanga who are all a powerful presence on the chess board.
On the broader picture, the event is expected to revive the Central Region chess glory days of between 2003 and 2006 when Lilongwe was arguably the capital of Malawi’s chess which produced the then child chess prodigy Joseph Mwale who is now plying his trade in South Africa.
Central Region Chess League chairman, Khama Chindole, said all things were set and the league was looking forward to swashbuckling chess from Saturday to Monday.
Chindole said the champion of the tournament will pocket a cool K100, 000 plus a glittering trophy while his runners up will walk away with K90,000 plus a trophy and third will walk away with the K50,000 and a trophy.
Chindole also said there will be golf shirts and T-shirts as consolation prizes to the top 10 winners
The Muleso- Mphande Open Chess Championship has been sponsored by Chessam executive member Mayeso Mphande and South African-based business consultant Francis Muleso.
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