MBABANE – The chessboards were on fire this past weekend as international players came to Eswatini to take their best shot.
Notably, a few local stars stepped up and gave them a run for their money. This happened during a two-day Trojan Horse Chess Club Open held at The George Hotel in Manzini that was a real nail-biter from start to finish.
There were over 60 competitors who came to battle it out on the chessboard, with prize money on the line. The Open Section had E5 000 up for grabs, while the ladies were competing for E3 000. The competition had six rounds.
Local favourites Candidate Master (CM) Simphiwe Dlamini and CM Smilo Hlophe started the tournament on fire, holding the top spots on Saturday. However, on day two, it was a whole new chess game. South Africa’s young gun, Lwazi Selepe and Mozambique’s Raphael Chirindza brought their A-game and climbed the ranks.
Selepe clinched the top spot with a score of 5.5/6, while Chirindza came in second with 5/6, taking home E2 000.
Meanwhile, CM Sihlongonyane was the only player from Eswatini to make it to the podium, finishing third with a score of 5/6. He was separated from the runner-up by a tie-breaker, which ruled in his disadvantage.
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