Kenya Chess Championship: Race for brand new Nissan Note hots up

Kitale-based chess player Hugh Misiko hopes to be the lucky Kenyan who will drive away in a brand new Nissan Note car when curtains fall on the 2023 Kenya National Chess Championship (KNCC) on Saturday. 

Last year, Misiko came close to winning a brand new Mazda Demio car that was at stake in the Open Section of the same competition after he lost to veteran chess player Mehul Gohil in the final play-off – Armageddon.

Misiko and Gohil had tied at the top on eight points after nine rounds. They drew 1-1 in both rapid and blitz playoffs, forcing the organisers to separate them through Armageddon. Misiko had defeated Gohil in the fifth round of the competition.

Chess Kenya has this time round changed the rules of the competition, with a tie-breaker for the overall winner of both the Open and Ladies Section to be applied only if the two players who are tied at the top had not met in the nine rounds or the results of their first encounter ended in a draw.

After five rounds of this year's competition at Charter Hall in Nairobi, Misiko was on Thursday among the four players in the Open Section with five points thanks to a 100 percent winning record. 

The Open Section has attracted 209 participants, while the Ladies Section has 49 entrants. Former top seed Joseph Methu, Equity Bank Chess Club man Elvis Likoko, and 2021 champion Martin Njoroge are the other players who won all their five matches. 

Thanks to a superior tie-breaker, Methu who plays for giants KCB Chess Club was ranked top followed by Likoko, Njoroge (KCB), and Misiko (Equity) in that order. 

“May the best player win but I am hopeful. The only way to be crowned champion this time around is to win all the matches. It is not an easy task but I hope to achieve it,” said Misiko, whose Fide rating is 1846. 

His victims in the five rounds were Martin Muli (1249), Hawi Kaloki (1562), Lawrence Kagambi (1680), Gichuru Kimani (1407), and Lenny Mataiga (1764). Misiko was Thursday evening scheduled to face Methu (1986) in round six.

“I have played several tournaments this year, so now I’m just hoping for the grace of God,” added Misiko. 

Gohil (1966), who is chasing his third car, was ranked fifth with 4.5 points heading into the sixth round where he was scheduled to face Jackson Kamau (1813). 

The three-time winner drew against Moses Andiwoh (1741) in the third round, but won the other four rounds. 

Gohil was awarded a brand new Mazda Demio Car in 2019 and 2022 for topping the Open Section after nine rounds of matches.

In the Ladies Section, defending champion and Woman Candidate Master (WMC) Joyce Nyaruai and Woman Fide Master Sasha Mongeli are the only players who had won in all five rounds. 

While both Nyaruai (1718) and Mongeli (1724) have amassed five points each, the WCM tops thanks to a superior tie-breaker.  Nyaruai and Mongeli were scheduled to face off on Thursday afternoon. 

Elizabeth Cassidy, Francisca Kagwiria, Nicole Albright, Mercy Ingado, and Veronicah Matei followed in that order on the log with four points each.

The first and second runners-up in the Open Section will receive Sh100,000 and Sh50, 000 respectively, while the Ladies Section’s winner and first runner-up will pocket Sh100,000 and Sh50, 000 each.

The KNCC is the first phase of the national team selection.

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