Kenyan champion off to winning start in Africa Individual Chess Championship
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 14.05.25. | 20:52
The winner of the Open tournament will walk away with Ksh650,000 while the runners-up wins Ksh350,000 and the third placed player earns Ksh250,000
Woman Fide Master (WFM) Sasha Mongeli picked up her first win at the Africa Individual Chess Championships, which commenced on Tuesday, 13 May, in Egypt.
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Mongeli, also the Kenya National Women Champion, rated 1886, beat Sudan’s Andin Chethanah, who is rated 1486.
Egyptian Woman Grand Master Wafa Shrouk, who is the highest rated player in the women's section, also won her first game, beating Ampaire Shakira from Uganda.
The Egyptian is rated 2189 and had an easy time against her 1784-rated opponent. Two other Kenyans taking part in the event lost their opening matches on the first day.
Kenyan champion Robert Macligeyo went down to Ashraf Sharif from Egypt. The Egyptian is a FIDE master with an impressive rating of 2264 compared to Macligeyo’s 2047.
Kimingi Kimani, another Kenyan in the open section, lost to Algeria’s Boulrens Alaedine.
Egyptian Grand Master Amin Bassin, the highest rated player at 2649, easily won his first match, edging out Libya’s Iddris Chafik.
The winner of the Open tournament will walk away with Ksh650,000 while the runners-up wins Ksh350,000 and the third placed player earns Ksh250,000.
The women's section has a prize of Ksh800,000, with the winner walking away with Ksh250,000.
Furthermore, the winners of the Open category will be awarded the title of Grand Master, while the women's winner gets the title of Woman Grand Master.
Elsewhere, five countries have already entered players to participate in the Africa Schools Chess Championships to be held from Friday, 23 to Thursday, 29 May, in Mombasa.
Uganda, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia and Madagascar have already entered players to take part in the seven-day tournament.
Also expected to take part are South Africa and Ghana. The deadline for entries will close on Friday, 16 May.
Kenya will enter a total of 100 players in the tournament, whose winners will qualify to take part in next year’s World Schools Chess Championships.
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