BCF Hosts Independence Open

The tournament which is sponsored by Debswana and Kalahari Associates Botswana will feature players from Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

BCF Public Relation Officer Keenese Katisenge told Voice Sport that the tournament is meant to bring the best Chess players from across Southern Africa.

She added that the event brings in players with different chess understanding and strength.

“This year we anticipate 310 players to take part in the tournament.

This is major event in chess calendar and it grows every year ever since it started in 2010.

The 2014 event has received P25, 000 sponsorship from Kalahari Associates Botswana and P60, 000 from Debswana Mining Company,” revealed Katisenge.

She said P40, 000 from the Debswana sponsorship will be reserved for the tournament while remaining P20, 000 is sponsorship for the Debswana Clubs Weekend Challenge which will be hosted after the independence tournament.

Katisenge said the event presents opportunities for younger players to test their strength against Africa’s toughest players.

The tournament will be divided into 3 sections, being the Prestige section, Ladies Section and B-Section.

The prestige section is open to all rated players (male and female), its first prize is P10, 000.

The Ladies Section is open to ladies only, its first prize is P6000 and the B-Section is open to all unrated players and the youth.

The tournament prizes will range from position 1-6 for the sections. Other tournament prizes will include medals, certificates and trophies.

Meanwhile BCF has sent a team consisting of 12 players to World Youth Chess Championships which are held in Durban South Africa.

Naledi Marape who is representing Botswana in the under 8 age category is topping the Botswana team with 2 points out of the 4 rounds played.

Bofelo, Waabo, Marape Jr, Nchidzi, Susan, and Chawana are at 1 point while Celestinah has not yet won a game.

The tournament comes to an end on 30 September 2014

Source: http://www.thevoicebw.com