Fide Master Harold Wanyama and his Chess Cranes teammate Peninah Nakabo finished 12th at the Mixed Team Rapid, the first chess event, at the ongoing African Games in Accra, Ghana.
Uganda got the event underway with two draws against the host’s C team and the continent’s heavyweights, Egypt.
Wanyama lost his game against Egypt to the continent’s top rated player, Grandmaster Amin Bassem, but Nakabo’s remarkable win against Woman Grandmaster Wafa Shahenda meant the game ended in a draw.
The chess cranes’ lone win came against Ghana A in the fourth round, however, it was not enough to see them finish above their starting rank (10th) as defeats to Algeria and Botswana in the 3rd and 5th round respectively, and their draw against Mozambique in the final round saw them finish two places below that rank.
Neighbors Kenya lost three games, but their two wins saw them finish a place above Uganda. Egypt with 10 points won Gold while Algeria (9) and Madagascar (8) bagged themselves silver and bronze respectively.
The Mixed Team Rapid is one of the six chess events being contested for in Ghana. Both the Men’s Rapid and the Women’s Rapid will take center stage on Sunday and both Wanyama and Nakabo will be in action.
The two Ugandans will hope to finish in the medal positions in their respective sections. Wanyama in particular will seek to emulate or better his 2019 performance at this very tournament in Morocco where he bagged a bronze medal.
Courtesy Photos
