A wise man once said that confidence is a super power. Once you start to believe in yourself, magic
starts happening. Likoko must have read that quote somewhere and memorized it. When asked if he
would win the match, the Kenyan number 83 firmly responded with a resounding YES! There was no doubt in his statements as he clearly confirmed during a pre-match interview, that he was going to thump his
opponent! Judging from this confidence, I for one thought that Kenya had purchased a time travelling
machine and used it to see the future.
Now, if his opponent was some random Ugandan from the Ug Grandprix sure-berserk list, then one would believe him. But let’s set the record straight; his opponent was Uganda’s number 28 and he is over 300 FIDE elos ahead of him! On top of that, he is the current National Junior champion! As if that is not all, he is also regularly referred to as the strongest upcoming in the country.
How he got that title I have no clue but that is a story for another day. For now, let’s focus on how he
got showered with canes and all he could say afterwards was that his opponent isn’t a normal human being!
The match between Likoko Elvis and Musasizi Emmanuel was a spectacular one and it attracted over 86
spectators. It consisted of 3 sets of different time controls and each had eight games. Fully loaded with a
total prize of Kshs 4000 and players of a HER (Highest Ever Rating) of 2400+, no one dared to miss such
an incredible match! Everyone came to witness an epic clash between two Lichess giants or at least a
Goliath and a David. The polls clearly indicated that Musasizi was the viewers’ favorite and that Likoko
stood no chance against him. Many had come to just see Likoko donate elos and cash but to their
disappointment, the 20-year-old had something else in mind. He had come to win!
The battle ground was lichess.org and at exactly 8:00pm EAT on 1st May 2021, guns started blazing!
Passersby had to either take cover or risk being hit by stray bullets. As the match progressed, it became
clear that Musasizi had brought a knife to a gun fight and to make matters worse, he had no bullet proof
vest on! Likoko played aggressively in all the games and gave him no chance of survival. Some people
described him as a terrorist while others said that he was about to adopt his opponent. The first 4
games painted a picture of a “mismatch” as Likoko showed his opponent no mercy by winning all of
them. Musasizi won game 5 and drew game 6.
This gave the viewers some hope for a comeback but it only worsened the result. The games that followed left the viewers begging Musasizi to drop his knife, beg for mercy and leave the battle ground. There was clearly no time to call for back up! Likoko had taken Musasizi to a place where only one man would emerge victor and he had already made this clear to everyone that that man was going to be him.
Many people have retired from chess not because of age but from thorough beatings. I would love to mention names but I have no security guards at home so for the sake of my own safety and that of those I care about, let’s leave it at that. But believe me when I tell you that some people would never play
chess again had they been in Musasizi’s position! The rate at which Likoko rained blows on the young
man’s head left many questioning his 2400 status and some concluded that he wasn’t going to play
chess again! This was partly correct as the victim himself confirmed that he had given online chess a
break.
“Chess is hard. Likoko played so well that I at some point started to find and admire good moves from
his side!” He added.
Likoko put up an impressive show and he convincingly won the match with a 12.5-3.5 victory with a set
to spare!
Appreciation goes to Prox chess house Kenya and Uganda Chess cage matches for organizing the match.
Special Thanks to CM Ben Magana for looking for sponsorship and to Titus for making sure everything
went on smoothly. Finally, kind regards to those who watched the entire match and to the players for
making it an entertaining and colorful night. Thank you for supporting chess.