Top players register for Eswatini Chess Open
MBABANE – The kings and queens of chess have already booked their slots to compete in the 2022 Eswatini Chess Open. After a two-year hiatus, Eswatini Chess Open is back. One of the most prestigious chess tournaments in the land will be played over the weekend of November 26 and 27, this year. The venue that was confirmed by Eswatini Chess Federation (ECF) Tournament Coordinator William Siame is Thokoza Anglican Conference Centre in Mbabane.
Starting time is 8:30am. By yesterday, 26 players had already confirmed their names for participation in the grandest local chess tournament that also attract chess players from Southern African Development Countries (SADC). The countries that have shown their interest include Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. One week after opening the registration, some of the top Eswatini players who have wasted no time to register include Candidate Master (CM) Sikhanyiso Sihlongonyane, Nosimilo Mkhonto, Nomcebo Sibisi and Vuyo Nxumalo, among others.
Siame also hinted that 11 players from the development section had already registered so far, with five coming from Botswana. “Registration is slowly gaining momentum, with 26 registered so far. We are expecting the numbers to increase next week, now that the venue is known. Players from other countries will register in a few days,” Siame said.
Siame said the event will be divided into two sections; Open and Under-14, with the option of three sections should the ladies’ exceed 18 players. The competition format is a six -round Swiss System, which will be used across the sections, with Open section playing the time control of 1:30 minutes +30 seconds, while the development section will play one hour per one hour on the second day. “The Open section will play the first round on Friday, November 25 at 4pm. Round two, three and four will be played on Saturday and the last two on Sunday, November 27. The Development section will only have a one day tournament on November 26, starting time is 8:30am. This year’s prize fund has been reduced compared with the previous
PRIZES BREAKDOWN:
OPEN SECTION PRIZES:
1. Champion: E5 000
2. Runner-up: E3 500
3. Third place: E2 500
4. Fourth place: E1 500
5. Fifth place: E1 000
BEST LADY
1. Champion: E2 500
2. Runner-up: E1 500
3. Third place: E1 000
DEVELOPMENT SECTION: Will have lots of prizes to be won (T-shirts, bags trophies and medals)
REGISTRATION DETAILS:
Open section:
E250 foreign players E200 for locals
E100 Development To register, use this link:
one by E2 000, but the good news is that prizes will go as far as fifth position,” Siame said.
The Open section champion gets to walk away with E5 000, the runner-up takes home E3 500, third place winner will get E2 500 while positions four and five receive E1 500 and E1 000 respectively. The best lady will walk home with E2 500, with the second and third place winners pocketing E1 500 and E1 000 in that order.