Chess showdown goes to Ghetto
For the first time this year, after Covid- 19 pandemic starved them off tournaments, chess players in the northern part of Botswana will have the chance to have the board game in their background this weekend in what has been dubbed the 2020 Festive Showdown.
Ever since the pandemic struck in March most tournaments have mostly been played in the Greater Gaborone, starving northern based players some action due to travel restrictions between zones. However, Francistown School of Chess has come to the rescue of players as they will once again host an open chess championship. Previously known as the First Capital Bank Easter Showdown, the tournament could have been held during Easter holidays in April but due to Covid- 19 it was postponed indefinitely.
The tournament which is in its second year running will be held from the 12th- 14th of December at Francistown’s Adansonia Hotel.
The event is going to be played in five categories being: prestige, open and ladies sections for elite or senior chess players. Junior players have also been catered for with the establishment of Under 18 and Development category which will only accommodate junior players born in 2008 and after.
Since most of this year’s competitions have been online, players are hungry for over the board chess tournaments, so it remains to be seen how they ( players) will square off in Francistown. Reigning champion in the open section, CM Thuso Mosutha is expected to do everything in his power to win the title he won last year once again.
Fresh from a disappointing performance from the BOTASH Open where he finished 6th, CM Mosutha will be looking to redeem himself and finish the year on a high note.
The prestige section caters for highly rated players of 2100 ratings and above in the chess game, therefore with borders open, it is expected that the tournament is likely to attract international players from neighbouring countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe, who have in the past graced local chess tournaments.
“We expect more fireworks because this year the event was publicised better than the previous edition and people have been starved of chess since Coronavirus hit us, so everyone will want to be part of this.
This tourney was postponed because of COVID- 19 so when sports got the green light from BNSC, we just initiated talks with the sponsor to have it played over the festive season,” said the Director of Francistown School of Chess Thapelo Molefe.
With the sponsorship value of P34000, many prizes are at stake across various categories. Prestige section champion will walk away with trophy, medal and P3600 prize money while open and ladies’ sections winners will get P2000 and P1800 prizes respectively.
The Under- 18 category has a prize money of P1500 while other development category winners will get P300, medals, trophies and certificates for their efforts.