A team of 12 young Ugandan chess players was flagged off to Eindhoven, Netherlands, on Thursday for the FIDE World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad.
The players are divided into three teams that will compete against 67 teams from 50 countries across the globe.
Team A is composed of Mark Arthur Mwase, Edwin Pido, Nygaard Joseph Ajiri, and Caroline Nabirye.
Team B has Shilah Tondeka Tumwesigye, Ethan Tyaba Kigundu, Prince Mathew Mwase, and Tatiana Zuri Tumwesigye.
Team C is composed of Nicholas Daniels Dokoria, Ssubu Lwanga Kiwanuka, Nakasi Nansamba Kiwanuka, and Hailey Nio Mitchelle.
Uganda is one of only four countries that have entered more than one team in the tournament.
Kazakhstan has the most teams with five, followed by the Netherlands (host country) with four, and Canada with three.
The tournament will be played over nine rounds, with a time control of 45 minutes with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1.
This tournament is considered to be a World Championship for young chess players, so it is an important event for the Ugandan team to showcase their talent.
The players have been training hard under the tutelage of Walter Okas, the national youth coach, and they are confident of a good showing in Netherlands.
Walter Okas
“We expect the very best from this team,” said Okas.
“We have dedicated a lot of time and effort in preparations for this tournament, so we are confident we shall get desirable results.”
With a rating average of 1466, Uganda A is ranked 49th out of the 67 teams. Uganda B and Uganda C are ranked 50th and 64th respectively.
The tournament will be held from August 12-19.
Courtesy Photos
