Somali becomes favourite to clinch Africa Zone 4.4 Chess Championships
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 12.02.25. | 19:37
Winning the zonals was on Macligeyo’s bucket list, and he was forced to miss last month’s Eldoret Open chess championships to prepare
After day five action, Somali national chess champion Abdulkadir Warsame (Elo 1979) regained the sole lead with 6 points at the on-going Africa Zone 4.4 Chess Championship being held at the Clarion hotel.
Warsame edged out Lenny Mataiga (Elo 1905) of Equity Bank on Tuesday and remains the favorite to clinch the title.
Ladies defending champion Joyce Nyaruai caused the biggest upset of the day when she beat Robert Macligeyo, the Kenya national champion, in the sixth round of the tournament.
The unexpected results threw the battle for the ladies title wide open as Nyaruai is now tying in top place with Kenya woman champion WFM Sasha Mongeli (Elo 1871) of Equity Bank on 4.5 points each.
Macligeyo lies second in the men's category with five points, and it will take a miracle for him to win the zonal title in his first time of trying.
Winning the zonals was on Macligeyo’s bucket list, and he was forced to miss last month’s Eldoret Open chess championships to prepare. This is despite the event being the first Grand Prix tournament of the year and part of the national team selection.
Rising youngster Zuri Kaloki (Elo 1784) of Mavens Chess Club shocked two-time Olympian Julie Mutisya of Equity Bank (Elo 1815) with explosive tactics from out of the blue to bag the point.
Hugh Misiko (Elo 1922) of KCB Chess Club scored another deserved win against the free-falling but real sportsman Deng Mabior of South Sudan.
The South Sudan play remains pointless after six rounds but still shows a lot of enthusiasm in his matches.
On Wednesday, the Africa Chess Confederation (ACC) announced that the winner of the ladies category will qualify to play in a super zonal tournament to be held later in the year.
This is because the ladies category attracted only four players, and playing in the zonals will give the winner an opportunity to face tougher opposition.
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