Woman Candidate Master Shakira Ampaire is confident of overturning her slow start at the Africa Individual Chess Championship.
Ampaire who is the only Ugandan in this event arrived late in Giza, Egypt hence missing the first round.
In the second round, she drew with Paulo Jemima from Angola but, lost to Mohammed Azzab Mareim in the third round.
“Games are tough,” Ampaire said. “At the moment, I’m at the bottom of the list but I’ll climb up.
“I’m going to do very well despite my bad beginning. I didn’t come all the way from Uganda to just fail. I’m a hard worker.”
Winning the tournament might be a tall order as the tournament features some of the continent’s best, but finishing strong is the new target.
The winner of this competition earns the Grand Master title in the Open category and the Woman Grand Master title in the Women section.
The tournament is also a qualifier for the 2024 FIDE World Cup and the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Cup.
Ampaire will face Jolly Nepando in the fourth round seeking for her first win at the tournament.
The Namibian, a Woman Candidate Master herself hasn’t also won any game. She lost all her three games.
With the Nepando’s lower rating, Uganda’s seed number three, Ampaire will fancy her chances of winning her first game.
By: Rose Agwang
Courtesy Photos
