From 25th to 27th of August, Kisumu City hosted what was arguably the strongest regional youth event ever on Kenyan soil. The event is named after the Kisumu-based organising club Victoria Chess Club, which derives its name from Lake Victoria, a key ecological feature in the region. A total of 419 players comprising some of the finest young talents in the region travelled far and wide to battle it out at the lakeside city.
The tournament had two divisions, Prestige and Elite, each having an Open and Ladies section. The Prestige division, being the stronger one, attracted the top juniors in the region while the Elite division attracted many bright upcoming players.
The venue was elegant and buzzing with chess activities, with players, coaches, parents and staff all working in tandem to make it a resounding success. Spectators all across the region were treated to live streams of the top boards which caused quite the excitement and following. Analyses and discussions were done by many while others chose to sit back and watch the clashes unfold.
As soon as the games began, one thing became clear – that Kenyan chess has morphed into something much bigger and better, with the youth leading the revolution. The quality of chess seen in the tournament impressed many. Effectively, Kenya is taking the top seat in chess competitions in East Africa. This is marks a turnaround from Uganda’s dominance in the region that has lasted years.
Olympian Robert McLigeyo was the top seed and a clear favourite to many. Other notable players included Hawi Kaloki, Gai Ngong, Kyle Kuka, Jadon Simiyu, Lwanga Aguda and Rishit Ravat, all of whose exploits in the chess world have become well known. The Ladies’ Prestige section was no less exciting, with talented players like Zuri Kaloki, Winnie Kaburo, Elizabeth Cassidy, Shukri Shakira and Yvonne Mwashe among others battling it out to prove their mettle.
One decisive moment of the tournament was the game between Hawi Kaloki and Robert McLigeyo in round 4. After a slight misstep by Robert on move 22, Hawi promptly seized the 7th rank and gained a nagging positional advantage which he smoothly converted. Later on in a difficult position in round 7, Hawi kept a cool head and held Christian to a draw. At this point it became evident that he was the man to beat. After the final round victory over Jadon Simiyu, Hawi took clear first place with an impressive 2103 TPR and a cool 118 elo boost.
Meanwhile in the Prestige Ladies’, Zuri crushed her opponents one after another, making her way to victory with her sharp and precise play. Perhaps one testament of her fighting spirit was in round 7 against Cassidy. She tenaciously defended against a scary attack and once the attack fizzled, she pounced and turned the tables, bagging a crucial point.
In the Elite division, Kitale School students Prince Isaac and Sylvia Abuto completely dominated the open and ladies’ sections respectively. Prince scored a superb 7.5/8 after drawing his final round while Sylvia decimated all opposition to get a perfect score of 8/8.
Hawi and Zuri winning their respective categories was quite the moment, reminiscent of the two superstar siblings Pragnannandhaa and Vaishali. Many more examples in history do show that siblings tend to be good chess players, likely a result of healthy sibling rivalry. The Polgar sisters and Carlsen are perhaps the best embodiment of this.
Final Standings
After a gruelling 8 rounds, the victors emerged as follows:
Prestige Open
Kaloki Hawi – 7.5 pts
Robert McLigeyo – 7 pts
Rishit Ravat – 6.5 pts
Prestige Ladies
Kaloki Zuri – 7 pts
Onyango Shirlyn Gathoni – 6 pts
Shukri Shakira – 6 pts
Elizabeth Cassidy – 6pts
Elite Open
Prince Isaac – 7.5 pts
Ogaya James – 7 pts
Enock Kibet – 7 pts
Moses Achwang’a – 7 pts
Elite Ladies
Sylvia Abuto – 8 pts
Kimberley Cherop – 7 pts
Jepkosgei Shalom – 7 pts
Muhonja Pamela – 7 pts