NCBA Bank chess team qualifies for world event

NCBA Bank Kenya will represent the country in the Fide World Amateurs in Muscat, Oman from November 1 to 11.

NCBA Bank won the 2023 Kenya National Corporate Chess Championship title on Saturday at Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi to qualify to represent Kenya at the global stage.

Former champions Equity Bank, Daystar University, United States International University - Africa (USIU-A), NCBA Loop, Prudential Insurance and Nairobi City County competed in the one day event.

Giants KCB Bank withdrew from the event at the 11th hour.  NCBA won four matches and drew in one to top the standings with 13 points, one above USIU. 

Equity were third with 10 points. NCBA beat USIU-A 2.5-1.5 in the first match, drew 2-2 with Equity, beat Nairobi 3-1 and outsmarted Daystar 2.5-1.5 before overcoming NCBA Loop 4-0.

NCBA began their march to victory with a 2.5-1.5 win over USIU, before drawing 2-2 with Equity in a thrilling contest. They bounced back to winning ways in the third match, edging-out Nairobi 3-1, before outsmarting Daystar 2.5-1.5.

NCBA finished the championships on a high by crashing NCBA Loop 4-0. USIU leapfrogged Equity into second following their shocking 2.5-1.5 win over the bankers in their fifth round clash.

In the match, Equity's star player Njagi Kabugu and Easter Judith lost to Chitundu Limbikani and Clifford Ombiro respectively.

Steven Waweru (Equity) drew with Tandy Milare, while Victor Ongono delivered the only win for the bankers against Baden Fred.

Initially, the winner of the Kenya National Chess Championships was to represent the country in the World Rapid in Germany from August 25 to 28.

But Chess Kenya missed the competition's entry deadline of June 12 thus the decision to have the winner compete in the World Amateurs in Muscat.