Chess national team slots up for grabs
Wednesday, 22 February 2012 00:00
Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) will this coming weekend host the 6th Metropolitan Chess National Championships 2nd Qualifiers in Francistown. The competition will be held at Vintage Hotel.
This will see the best 24 men and 18 women battling it out for the top ten slots to the finals, which will be played during the Good Friday and Easters holidays. Last year’s champions, Abel Dzilani (male) and Thapelo Francis (female) who both did not compete in the first stage two weeks ago, will be joining the tournament at this stage.
The men’s section top seeds are Candidate Master Providence Oatlhotse and Fide Master Phemelo Kheto who, if they win this year’s Championship, will be winning it for the fourth time and will be the first players to have won it that many times.
They failed to win it in any of the past two editions. Baring Gaealafshwe won it for the first time in 2010 and Dzilani won it last year. The men’s field is considered very strong, as 90% of the players are Fide rated and are looking forward to increase their ratings. Kheto won the Year Opener while Oatlhotse won the first qualifiers and this weekend’s competition will prove to be a tough one.
The ladies championship has proved to be an open one as the youngsters like Thapelo Francis, Onkemetse Francis, Gorata Leso and Kgalalelo Botlhole have caught up with the like of Woman International Master Boikhutso Mudongo, Woman Fide Master Tshepiso Lopang , Woman Candidate Master Ontiretse Sabure and Keitumetse Mokgacha.
This year’s championship has a lot at stake, as the winners in both sections will book themselves slots in the national team, which is bound for the World Olympiad in August/September in Turkey, Istanbul. There will be consolation prizes for those who will not make it to the finals.
Meanwhile, the sponsorship for this year’s championships is expected to be launched today (Tuesday) at 11 00hours at the Metropolitan offices located at the main mall.
Source: http://www.gazettebw.com
Hope they’ll find good players.