Grandmasters dominate Kenya Open Chess tournament

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As expected Grand Masters dominated the 31st edition of the Kenya Open Chess Championship which ended on Monday at the Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi.The event attracted a record total of 445 players from 22 countries including for the first time in the event’s history grandmasters participatin - in this case ten grandmasters, of whom three are women, which is an African record in an open tournament.Pre-tournament favourite Uzbeki-American GM Timur Gareyev won the event in his first time of asking after collecting 8.5 points.He walked away with Ksh.1million. At second place was another GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan who finished with 8 points.17-year-old American-Indian IM Samant Adity came home third after collecting 7.5 points.Ugandan Harold Wanyama who was the tournament’s defending champion finished fifth and was the best African in the event.Home stars shine on second day of Kenya Open Chess ChampionshipThe top Kenyan was KCB’s Ben Magana who finished at position 17 after collecting seven points and walks away with nothing as he is outside the cash bracket.The women category was won by WGM Josephine Heinemanne who collected nine points out of a possible nine after she won all her matches. She pocketed Ksh 500,000.Kenya’s WCM Joyce Ndirangu who was the 2018 and 2019 winner was the best placed Kenyan after finishing in fifth position and collected Ksh.100,000.The last day of the event also witnessed some surprising results.Kayyar Sana of Uganda 1412 held Woman Candidate Master Anzel Laubscher 1762 of South Africa to a draw while Kenya’s Nicole Albright 1363 downed Ugandan Woman FIDE Master Gloria Nansubuga 1459 as another Kenyan Triza Mwendwa 1384 defeated Ugandan WCM Shakira Ampaire 1702.