Big names skip Nakuru Open Chess Championships
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 03.11.24. | 10:21
The tournament has a prize fund of Sh. 140,000
The Nakuru Open chess championships started on Saturday at the Cool Rivers hotel with no major upsets.
Most of the big names skipped the two-day event, preferring to prepare for the up-coming Bungoma Open and the lucrative Kenya National Chess Championships in December.
Even then, national team player Ian Mutuge lost his third match to Allan Chumba and lies in eighth position with two points.
Mutuge, who represented the country in this year’s World Chess Olympiad in Hungary, is the highest-ranked player in the open field with 1933.
In the absence of all the big names, he was expected to dominate this tournament, but as it is, he will have to work twice as hard to finish in the prize bracket.
There are only three players so far with maximum points after the first day. Samuel Gai Ngong from Black Knights, Mayen Deng Ador from Nakuru Chess Club, and Allan Chumba have all picked three points.
In the ladies section, Julie Mutisya, another national team player, is also struggling as she is placed sixth with two points. Mutisya from Equity Bank lost her first match to Nekesa Venesa.
Sasha Mongeli, also from Equity Bank, is leading after winning all her three matches. She is tied at the top with Kimani Wanjiru and Grace Shilahia.
In the under-1700 category, Mark Nyairo from Strathmore University has come out of retirement and is now at the top of the leaderboard with maximum points.
This is Nyairo’s first tournament this year, and he remains favorites to win this category.
Also having picked three points are James Maina and Joseph Nganga.
Former national under-12 champion Channel Mackenzie is also holding her own in this category, where she has picked two points so far.
The tournament has a prize fund of Sh. 140,000. The winner in the open section will pocket Sh.30,000, while the ladies winner will walk away with Sh.25,000.
The tournament will also pay prize funds to the top juniors in each section who will get Sh.6,000 each.
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