After finishing top in the final national rankings, the 2021 Kenya Chess Champion Martin Njoroge is training his eyes on a gold medal at the 44th World Chess Olympiad set for July in Russia.
Njoroge was one of 10 players selected on Sunday to represent the country at the global championship after the third and final leg of Kenya Olympiad Qualifiers ended at Kenya Commercial Bank, Ruaraka Sports Club.
“A world medal is my goal. I have to train hard with the national team and KCB teammates also. I have analysed my games and noticed a lot of errors in my play that I’ll work on,” Njoroge said.
He added that government support will be the utmost to ensure the players have maximum chances of success.
“The government needs to support the game by taking players to camps in Europe. We also would like to see the International Masters coming to train with us,” he said.
He urged the government and Chess Kenya to organise camps and invite experienced players from across the border to nurture and sharpen local talents.
KCB will have four players in the travelling party for the two-week event scheduled for July 26-August 8.
Bernard Magana, KCB’s Candidate Master who led in the overall open category by amassing 8.5 points, observed the remarkable improvement shown by other competitors.
“The competition was stiff compared to past similar qualifiers. Seemingly, players used the partial lockdown period to hone their skills. We have witnessed growth of the game and as we head to Russia with the national team. We hope it’s going to be an enthralling outing,” said an ecstatic Magana.
Joyce Nyaruai, who led the women’s category, said she is optimistic Kenya will put up a spirited fight in the world show.
“We’ve looked at different ways to play and improve and this will give us an edge in the coming tournament. From the last qualifier, people have really come up,” she said.
Final Ranking after 11 rounds:
Men’s Category:
- Bernard Magana 8.5- KCB Chess Club
- Bernard Nguku 7.5- KCB Chess Club
- Hinga Githinji 7.0- Deadly Bishops
- Njoroge Martin 5.5- KCB Chess Club
- Robert Mcligeyo 5.5- Light House Club
Ladies:
- Joyce Nyaruai- 7.5 KCB Chess Club
- Sasha Mongeli- 7.5- Nakuru Chess Club
- Madelta Glenda- 6.5 Equity Chess Club
- Jully Mutisya-6.5- Nakuru Chess Club
- Cynthia Obondo- 6.5- TUK Chess Club
