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Chess players left scratching their heads


Kenyan chess players will need to go back to the drawing board after they were again dominated by Ugandans at the 2nd annual Daystar Open Chess Championship held at the weekend.

Ugandans got the best of their Kenyan counterparts during the championship held at Daystar University Athi River Campus.

Ugandan International Harold Wanyama was in great form as he won the two-day event.

Wanyama collected a total of seven points to walk home with the top spot, leading three of his countrymen as they scooped the top four positions in the event.

Wanyama beat his fellow countrymen Harun Nusubga, Mathias Ssonko, Emojong Elijah and Kenyan Martin Oyamo on his way to victory.

He was followed in second place by Nusubga who amassed a total of six points, with another compatriot Ssonko coming in third position also with 6 points as Emojong made it a successful event for the Ugandans rounding up the top four positions.

Highest ranked

The highest ranked home player was Oyamo who came in fifth position with a total of 5.5 points with another Ugandan coming in sixth ensuring they took five spots among the top 10 finishers.

Wanyama’s victory earned him Sh30,000 at the championship which drew 75 participants with about 10 Ugandans taking part.

Second placed Nusubga walked home with Sh25,000 while  Ssonko collected Sh20,000.

In the women’s category, Kenyan Isabella Asiema restored some pride as she won the contest and pocketed Sh25,000.

However, it was the domination by the Ugandans during the event that will stick in the minds of Kenyans who were simply outwitted and outfoxed by their counterparts.

By the end of the first day for example, the Ugandans were already top of the leader board and simply seemed unbeatable.

Some of the Kenyan players blamed wrong moves and poor decision-making as the cause of defeat.

This was the second event where the Kenyans lost to their  Ugandan counterparts on home soil.

In August, Ugandans also dominated the 55th Nairobi chess Championship as they took the top three positions.

“It was a tough tournament and I needed to be focused in all my games but am glad I achieved my mission here”, said Wanyama who retained the trophy he won in 2012.

However there was a great upset in the event when East Africa’s first International Master Elijah Emojong of Uganda lost to Brian Toboso of Eastlands Chess Club.