Chess players prepare for Olympiad

Chess players prepare for Olympiad
By: STAFF REPORTER

THE Namibia Chess Federation invites chess players from all 13 regions of Namibia to participate in the annual Namibia National Chess Championship this weekend. The premier national chess tournament is expected to take place at the Protea Fürstenhof Hotel in Windhoek.

“This year we have improved the conditions in terms of number of rounds and we have the best of the best in Namibia battle it out on the chess board as Namibia’s Chess Champions for 2012.

We will crown a man and a woman as Namibia’s champions. This event will also serve to select Namibia’s Olympic teams,” said the federation’s president, Max B. Nitzborn.

He said the top five men and women will qualify to represent Namibia at this year’s 40th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey.

“The President of the Turkish Federation has promised to provide an Olympiad unlike any other ever seen. So Namibia has to go and showcase its talent and improve its world ranking, but ultimately we will battle to take the crown as champions,” said Nitzborn, who will also compete in the tournament.

“This year our juniors are much better equipped with chess knowledge as there has been a lot of activity at the chess academies, schools and tertiary institutions to improve the level of play of Namibian chess players.”

Along with Nitzborn, the hot favourites in the men’s competition are 2010 champion and Fide Master Leonard Mueller, Candidate Masters Otto Nakapunda and Charles Eichab.

While Rauha Shipindo, Lishen Mentile, Nicola Tjaronda and Beverley Tjatindi will either charm or show their claws to their opponents to take top honours and the women’s crown.

Top juniors Julian Isaak, Immanuel Gariseb and William Kamberipa have also promised to take down their senior rivals again, as they did the previous year.

“So master or not, instructor or not, it will be fire on board,” said Nitzborn. The event will start at 08h00 tomorrow morning and will continue until May 4.

A N$50 deposit is required upon registration for the categories: Adults – N$150; students – N$100, and schoolchildren – N$50.

“Registration for non-members of the NCF is much higher. We would there encourage chess players to join the NCF to qualify for the benefits like lower tournament registration fees,” said Nitzborn.

All deposits will be refunded on condition that players have played all the rounds.
Registration can still be done today, via SMS to 0816152895 or online at namchess.blogspot.com.