Positive results for Equity Chess team as Kshs 70 million valued tournament enters day three in London
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 13.06.25. | 16:24
Kawuma with a rating of 2218 won three of his four matches played on Thursday just hours after landing in London
Equity Chess Team picked positive results on the third day of the World Rapid and blitz tournament at Novatel in West London.
The team was boosted by the arrival of Ugandan Patrick Kawuma who joined the team on Thursday after earlier missing his flight.
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Kawuma with a rating of 2218 won three of his four matches played on Thursday just hours after landing in London.
First Kawuma beat Sedykh Mikhail and following it with another win against International Master (IM) Eren Ataberk.
It was in the third match that things got tough and he lost to Skytte Rasmus.
Kawuma wrapped up the day with a clean win against Vaidyanathan Adithya.
Speaking after the matches, Kawuma admitted it was tough and had to be at his best in the four matches.
“Every match was tough and the event is challenging. We have to give it our best,” he said.
After a good start, teenager Kyle Kuka also had an impressive outing on Thursday.
Kuka, despite being one of the youngest players taking part in the five day event, has been pulling some impressive moves.
On Thursday, he began the day with a win in his first match where he stopped Ding Yihua.
He followed it up with an another win against Demir Aleyna before drawing against Andreias Leia.
Kuka then finished the day victorious, beating Vaseloe Zoea. He was the only Kenyan, who did not taste defeat on Thursday.
Gurevich Artom playing for Equity Chess team also had an impressive performance on the fourth day of the event.
He picked the first win against Madan Augustine, before drawing Makaraci Tunahan.
He then lost to Kistrup Nicolai and wrapped up with a draw against Yu Rock.
It was not a good outing for other Equity Chess team members; Moses Andiwo, Julie Mutisya, Njagi Kabugi and Victor Ongono.
A total prize fund of Kshs 70million is up for grabs in the event.
The FIDE World Rapid Team Championship was first held as a three-day event in August 2023 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
It then returned in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2024 as a four-day tournament.
With Blitz added, the event is back for a third edition, taking place in the Novotel Hotel in Hammersmith, London.
This time, the length has grown to five days, with the Blitz held over two days.
The event is open to any team of six players (selected from a maximum of nine), with no restrictions on the nationality of the competitors.
The host country, England, perhaps unsurprisingly, dominates the event with 102 players.
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