Ugandan chess stars off for Zonal Africa Championships
A win in Abuja will see Emojong bag the International Masters title, which is second to the Grandmasters title
KAMPALA (Xinhua) — Uganda’s fast rising chess star and FIDE Master Elijah Emojong and Christine Namaganda are off to Abuja, Nigeria for the Zonal 4.2 Africa Chess championships scheduled to start this weekend.
“We are going to give our best in Nigeria because this is also good preparation for the 2012 Chess Olympiad,” Emojong told Xinhua on Friday.
A win in Abuja will see Emojong bag the International Masters title (IM), which is second to the Grandmasters title, a bracket held by the likes of legendary Garry Kasparov.
Namaganda who finished fifth at the Kenyan Open Chess tournament two weeks ago can become FIDE Master (FM) too, if she wins top spot in the female category.
The Ugandan players will expect tough competition from the hosts Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt who confirmed participation.
Uganda Chess Federation President Vianney Luggya told Xinhua that he expects the two players to represent the country well.
“They are young players with a lot of talent and this event will give them good exposure and ratings,” he said.
Source: http://www.coastweek.com
Good luck!