Anchor eye perfect start as chess league kicks-off

Champions KCB Chess Team will kick-off their title defence of the Kenya Premier Chess League (KPCL) in April due to unavailability of majority of their players for this weekend’s season-opening fixtures.

Unlike in 2019 where 27 teams competed in the top flight league, this season’s competition will feature 16 teams only.

The teams that finished within the last 11 places of last season’s competition were relegated and will now feature in the newly introduced Kenya Chess Super League (KCSL).

Seventeen teams will compete in the second tier league, which also starts this weekend. The games will be held at National Youth Service Engineering Institute in Nairobi.

As other teams will be fighting to start the new season on a high, eight KCB’s players will be battling to clinch tickets to this year’s World Chess Olympiad.

Only four KCB players are not taking part in the Olympiad qualifiers, which does not make a quorum for a league match.

In the KPCL, 27 matches have been lined-up for this weekend. They will take place in four rounds.

ADVANTAGE

Last season's runners-up Anchor Chess Club said they will take advantage of KCB’s absence to take an early lead to increase their chances of winning the competition.

“We are playing three games this weekend. We want to take advantage of that by starting strong. That is what helped us last season. KCB are still a threat, but we believe once we start well, we will be in the title race," said Anchor’s captain Solomon Tuo.

Other KPCL’s favourites are Equity Chess Club, who emerged third last season.

In the KCSL, 31 matches will be held, also taking place in four rounds.

Following the introduction of KCSL, the bottom three teams in KPCL will be relegated, while the top three in the second division will be promoted to the top flight league.

Antony Kionga, the league’s Secretary General they expect a competitive season.

“This season is going to be really tough. Unlike in previous editions, this year teams in the elite league will be fighting not to be relegated while those in the super league will be battling to qualify for the elite league,” said Kionga, adding that the number of foreign players have increased from four to 15.

Meanwhile, in the battle for tickets to this year’s World Chess Olympiad in Moscow, Russia, the five women and five men who will represent Kenya in the competition will be known on Sunday.

The Olympiad will take place from August 5-18.

The last five rounds of the qualifiers will be held at Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Sports Cub.

After six rounds held last weekend, the ladies category has taken shape will top seeds Sasha Mongeli, Lucy Wanjiru and Joyce Nyaruai dominating.

In the men’s category, reigning national champion Gohil Megul will be seeking to make amends after a slow start, which left him ranked fourth.