Ugandan Grand Prix Series
The Uganda Grand Prix series kicked off on the 2nd of July, 2021. This is an online event that is aimed at helping Ugandan chess players to earn financial returns while playing the game of chess.
@Emmanuelking emerged victor of the first edition of this prized event, which is being played every Friday of the month at 20:30HRS. The lichess.org platform plays host to the tournament and it is sponsored by a group of chess enthusiasts in Uganda.
Points are awarded to all participants according to their positions. The total of these scores (after a series of weeks) is then used to determine those who receive cash prizes at the end of the month. This event is famously known as an ELO dumping site because it is hard for one to finish the event with the same rating they started with.
The account @emmanuelking belongs to Musasizi Emmanuel, the reigning National junior champion. He has held on to the title since 2019. Close sources revealed that the young junior was signed up by Kireka Chess Club, one of the strongest chess clubs in Uganda.
@Emmanuelking scored 48 points and took up the top spot with an incrediblee rating performance of 2416 through 18 games. Second place had FM @Harunov and semi-retired @rick_and_morty clinched the third place.
WCM Shakira Ampaire (@sharklion) was the best lady with 25 points and a performance rating of 2123.
Tournament link:
https://lichess.org/tournament/pBXIjtoK
The Kids grand Prix was played on the 3rd of July, 2021 at 17:30 HRS. @Nyghtguard emerged winner of this section with 67 points achieved from 16 games. The @Nyghtguard account belongs to 12 year-old Nygaard Ajiri, the face behind the tears and pain of many online 2200s and 2300s in Uganda. In second place came @Jacqueskennedy with 32 points and Levron15 was third with 31 points.
Tournament link
https://lichess.org/tournament/MwSvUp6r
Team Uganda wins online team battle
Team Uganda showcased class when they came from behind to win the first edition of the Junior EA chess team match. The event had 4 participants from 2 countries (Uganda and Kenya) and the Scheveningen system was used to match the players. Here, each player on one team played each player on the other and the team with the highest number of games won was the winner.
Team Uganda was represented by Nygaard Ajiri and Matthew Mwase while team Kenya sent in Timothy Mwabu and Robert McLigeyo. The match was played in two sets with @Nygaard versus Mwabu and Matthew taking on Robert during the first set. Four (4) games were played in three different time controls i.e. 5|0, 3|0 and 3|2.
By the end of set 1, Kenya was enjoying a comfortable 2 point lead, little did they know that the match was far from over. Sources reported that plans of how to spend the prize money were already underway. This was this rumor that initiated a series of events that would later on force the Kenyan wananchi to unwillingly give up the top spot.
Set 2 was a matter of life and death, as it was the final set to determine the winner of the match. Uganda had two choices; overturn the scores and redeem themselves or lose some more games and the match.
Well, to them it was only one choice; winning the match. With a lot at stake, they made a significant comeback and went on to win the match with a 1 point difference, bagging Kshs 3000. The final score was 24.5 – 23.5.
We managed to get a statement from one of the fans who preferred to stay anonymous and the following were his remarks about the match:
Kenyan fan
“I think the set 1 blows sunk in deep and the Ugandan side had no choice but retaliate in set 2. Their opponents were of course tough and played extremely well, but the fellas were not ready to export any shillings to masai land. I have to say it was an entertaining match and the future of Ugandan chess is bright.”
Nygaard(@Nyghtguard) Vs Mcligeyo(@Sneakovic3)
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Matthew(Mmwase) Vs Mwabu(Conqueror_t)
The event was organized by Prox Chess house (Kenya) and UCCM (Uganda). The games were played on Sunday, 4th of July 2021 at 09:00HRS on the Lichess platform.
Collins Thumps Jalagatha
The Ugandan government continuously advises its citizens to make investments so that they can generate some extra cash. Jalagatha Ivan took the advice seriously which was an excellent idea. However, he did not make sufficient research about what to invest in.
After thinking about a few ideas, he finally chose to take on Nyombi Collins in a prized match, to make some quick cash. Due to the total lockdown in the country, he had to walk over 5 kilometers to Nyombi’s place in Kisaasi; this is so that he could double his money real quick.
Well, the odds were in his favor, given his experience and strength. He was also confident enough that he was going to win with ease. In fact, some people argued that Nyombi wasn’t going to put up a fight!
Now, for those who watch Nat Geo wild, you should be well versed with the phrase “sometimes, food fights back!”.
In this case, the food fought back and actually won. Collins gave Jalagatha a serious beating and left him reciting Burna boy’s “Wetin man go do” song. They played 16 games and Collins won 9 – 7 and bagged $17 while staying home! The match was played on the 4th of July, 2021 at 11:00HRS.
Jalagatha wasn’t happy with the result of match, so he asked for a rematch. He found it clever to play again and win is money back but alas, the gods were not on his side! The rematch ended in tears for the young fella. Nyombi lashed him 9.5 – 5.5 in another set.
The Busitema Cup Kicks Off
In a bid to keep the players active and in shape, Busitema University are organizing an online tournament for her players. The Busia based University is one of those that greatly support chess in Uganda and has sent teams to various chess competitions in the past. This event kicked off on Tuesday, the 6th of July, 2021 and will end on the 24th of July, 2021. It is a prized event with two sections and it will be played on the Lichess platform. The men’s section has 16 players and these were divided into four groups.
Stay tuned for more updates.
