22 Oct 2015

The national chess league is set to commence tomorrow at Oasis Motel in Tlokweng.

This followed a decision by Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) to reserve P60 000 to fund the running of the league.

More than 10 clubs have registered to play in the six months competition. 

In an interview this week, BCF public relations director, Keenese Katisenge, explained that each club will play three games every month between this month and April 2016.

Katisenge said the matches will be played using a Swiss team format with a time allocation of two hours per game. 

She said the clubs are expected to field four open players (men or women) in board 1-4, while board 5-6 are strictly reserved for ladies and board 7-8 for players under the age of 21. 

The last time BCF held the league was in 2010 when it was sponsored by Mahindra.

Katisenge said the decision to resuscitate the league was meant to keep players active and create a platform for young players to have regular competition. 

She further said the federation hoped to use the league to increase chess popularity and encourage more regions to form clubs to participate in the league.

“This is an opportunity for young Batswana players to be part of a more organised set up where they can monitor their growth in the game of chess. Over the years the players have only waited for sporadic tournaments organised by the federation and this has not been enough to give the players playing time,” Katisenge explained.

Even though the league is commencing without a sponsor, the chess spokesperson was confident that they will find financial backing along the way, explaining that the federation is in the middle of negotiations with a potential sponsor. 

“Waiting for sponsorship and not playing will only compromise the development of the game,” she commented. ENDS