Ben Magana wins Nairobi Open Championships
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 22.10.24. | 14:26
Magana drew his last match against Njuki Gabriel to collect seven points and emerge as the overall winner, pocketing Ksh50,000 for his efforts
Ben Magana emerged as the winner of the Nairobi Open Chess Championships which ended at Wadi Degla Club on Monday.
Magana drew his last match against Njuki Gabriel to collect seven points and emerge as the overall winner, pocketing Ksh50,000 for his efforts.
Speaking after the win, Magana from KCB admitted it was not easy for him, especially the last match.
“My opponent was very determined to win considering that he would have been the champion. I had to work hard in the last stage to outwit him and I am delighted it worked for me,” he said.
Magana, also the national men's team coach praised the up-coming talent and predicted that youngsters will soon fill up the senior side.
It all looked set for Magana as early as the second day when he assumed leadership.
First, the former national champion beat James Panchol from South Sudan and drew with the tournament’s top seed Gong Thong to assume leadership on the second day of the tournament with 5.5 points.
Thong suffered the first upset in the tournament after he fell to 14 year-old Kenyan Hawi Kaloki in the fifth round.
The result has left Thong in 15th place with four points. Hawi, who is among the players who will represent the country in this year’s World Youth Chess Championships in Brazil now leads in the under-18 prize category with four points.
Equity Bank’s Nyola Wasswa is lying second in the Open category with five points. With two rounds to go before the tournament concludes, the battle at the top is proving to be fierce.
Apart from Wasswa, three other players, current national champion Joseph Methu, Hugh Misiko and Njuki Gabriel all have five points.
Two-time national champion Mehul Gohil has been having a bad time in the three-day tournament.
After failing to win anything during last week’s Mombasa Open, the trend continues for Mehul as he picked just three points and is lying in 19th position.
In the ladies category, national champion Sasha Mongeli is the joint leader together with Julie Mutisya. Both have collected 3.5 points so far.
Top-rated junior Olympiad Mcligeyo Robert leads the U20 prize category with 3.5 points after drawing his round 5 game against Bwire Cyprian.
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