CHIMPREPORTS
Uganda Chess Federation (UCF) is taking the lead into full re-opening of sports as efforts are well underway to send Ajiri Benjamin Netanyahu, Hannah Zion Mawejje and others as part of junior chess team of Uganda for Africa Juniors in Liberia.
The Africa Juniors chess Championship is the second most prestigious chess event on the African continent and the 2021 event will take center stage in Liberia, Monrovia between 28th December 2021 to 5th January 2022.
The winners of the Africa Juniors qualify for the World juniors chess Championship and are awarded the IM and WIM titles in the Open and ladies categories accordingly.
Netanyahu and Hannah were respective winners in the Open and Girls categories after a two-day qualifiers event that concluded on Saturday 27th November at Kiwatule recreational center in Kampala and efforts are underway to ensure team Uganda is well represented.
The dynamic duo of Netanyahu and Hannah secured maximum points from the eight-round classical competition organized by Uganda Chess Federation whose day one tipped off a week earlier on the 20th December 2021.
Having received a bye in the opening round, Netanyahu sailed past all his other seven pairings of Mwanje Kish, Nygaard Ajiri, Namangala Bonny, Ntumwa Calvin, Kawooya Swaleh, Mugisa Elvis and Siima Zion to top the open event.
Also, Hannah had a reminiscent form of her first round where she beat Janice Mubiru, Janelle Mubiru, Mirembe Caroline and Rohah Bathsheba Naiga. The 15 year old overcame Zuri Tatiana, Henrietta Rhys Nsereko, Nanteza Gabriella and Iyamumpaye Brenda on the final day to dominate the girls section.
The Africa Juniors competitions are used to build players for the senior National teams and several Olympiad players have come through the ranks including; FM Naimanye Andrew, Opio Steven, Farouk Fauza, FM Kawuma Steven, Mulambe Hassan, WCM Phiona Muteesi (Famous in the Queen of Katwe movie) and Godfrey Makumbi (Olympiad Gold medalist)
UCF stands tall as the East African chess powerhouse and hosted a successful event in 2019 where 6 officials qualified as FIDE Arbiters (FA) and Uganda emerged 2nd in the ladies category when Nakanyike Maria won a silver medal and a WFM title and WIM (Norm).
UCF president Eng Emmanuel Mwaka says the “government has been put on notice and is yet to appoint an official nor provide any form of support to the Federation which in the year 2019 had the highest international medal tally among the 51 government registered Sports Federations.”
“If the necessary funds required come through, six additional players (3 in each category) who finished second, third and fourth after the qualifiers will be set to fly the Uganda flag high at the Prestigious event in Liberia, hence Uganda will be represented by eight athletes (4 boys and 4 girls) in total,” Mwaka told ChimpReports.
The event for players aged 20 years and below is the second most prestigious event on the continent will see every participating nation send one official player in each of the Open and Girls category.
Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros Islands, DRC, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia are among the other countries to feature at the event.
Team Uganda For 2021 Africa Junior Chess
Boys
• Ajiri Benjamin Netanyahu – 8 points
• Kawooya Swaleh 6.5 points
• Mugisha Elvis 6.5 points
• Ajiri Nygaard 5.5 points
Girls
• Hannah Mawejje – 8 points
• Janice Mubiru – 7 points
• Janelle Mubiru – 6 points
• Zuri Tatiana – 5 points
source https://perilofafrica.com/2021/11/chess-ucf-lists-team-uganda-for-2021-africa-juniors-in-liberia.html