17 Feb 2014

The Women Candidate Master (WCM), Ontiretse Sabure, was handed the biggest upset over the weekend (February 14-15) as she could not advance to the second round of the Metropolitan National Chess Championships billed for Francistown in March.

“Yes, I am disappointed with myself,” she said after coming 23 in a pool of 69 women who participated in the weekend event at Gaborone International School.

Sabure, whose ratings is 1650 and had performed well in a number of tournaments in the past, was even knocked out by junior and secondary school students, who had no ratings.

These tournaments included the Year Open (bronze), Gaborone and Maun Open Botswana Open where she also won herself silver medals. In 2011, Sabure participated in the All Africa Chess Games in Maputo and won a bronze, making her one of the few female chess players to reach that milestone.

Some of the rounds that she performed badly were against Olefile Ogomoditse and Nchidzi Motshusi, who are secondary school students.

However, Sabure, who won five games out of a possible nine games, contended that losing can happen to everyone, including a Grand Master player, the highest title in the game of chess.

Meanwhile, the tournament saw Women Fide Master (WFM) Kgalalelo Botlhole, Women International Master (WIM), Tshepiso Lopang, WCM, Onkemetse Francis and Thapelo Francis getting positions one to four in the women’s category.

Defending champion (women’s section), Boikhutso Modongo, who did not participate at the weekend tournament will join in the second round of qualifiers in Francistown billed for March 1-2.

In the open section (mens category), Fide Master Phemelo Kheto, with a ranking of 2148, beat all his contenders with eight points out of nine rounds to scoop the first position followed by Candidate Master (CM) Thato Olebile with 7.5 points.

Third and fourth on the spot were Moakofi Notha and Barileng Gaealafswe with 7 and 6.5 points respectively. Like Modongo, defending champion Ignatius Njobvu will also join in the second qualifiers in Francistown.

The first round attracted all players of different strengths and levels who aspired for the championship and women/Top 24 players were selected from the open section and top 18 from the ladies section to qualify to the next round. 

The Francistown round will see these players battle it out for the last stage of the championship which will be held in Gaborone on April 14 where a champion will emerge from both the open and ladies section.

The champions from both ends will make it into the provisional teams that will eventually represent the country at the Chess Olympiad in Norway,Tromso in August 2014. ENDS