Uganda’s male team outplayed and outclassed a higher ranked Libyan side winning 3.5-0.5 in a second round match of the 40th World Chess Olympiad played on Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey.
On the contrary, the ladies team went down fighting 0.5-3.5 at the hands of a more superior Luxemburg with the youngest player in the side, Phiona Mutesi pulling off the only draw for the side against Luxemburg’s higher rated Kremer Nadine.
In the male category, the Libyans who were oozing with confidence prior to the game were visibly shocked when Uganda’s Harold Wanyama and FM Elijah Emojong expertly overrun higher rated brothers FM Hussein Asabri (rated 2211) and Hassan Asabri (rated 2179) respectively before Arthur Ssegwanyi extended the lead by beating Libya’s experienced Elarbi Abobker (rated 2259) on board one.
CM Patrick Kawuma drew with FM Al Zayat Ahmed on board two after a lengthy battle. Uganda’s Wanyama who had the white pieces against Asabri opened with e4 and engaged his opponent in a tactical Ruy Lopez variation during which he managed to snatch a Pawn and also capitalized on his opponents’ Kingside weaknesses to launch a massive attack that proved unstoppable.
On his part, Emojong who had the Black pieces played a closed Sicilian and patiently outclassed his opponent to create mating threats with the aid of an advanced h Pawn that proved too dangerous and made the difference in the game. Ssegwanyi had an even more interesting quiet game that later exploded after he attacked his opponents’ French defense with the Tarasch variation and he capitalized on Abobker’s Kingside Pawn weaknesses to launch a final assault that put the match to bed.
Kawuma simply put the icing on the cake with a hard fought draw after creating two passed Pawns, which his opponent (Ahmed) countered with a seemingly dangerous passed Pawn of his own that neither party could let the other promote the passed Pawns into a Queen.
At the 2010 Olympiad in Khanty Mansisyk, Russia, Uganda settled for a painful 2-2 draw with Libya after a game in which UK based FM Stephen Kawuma (not at this Olympiad) ended in a loss at the last minute after the Ugandan clearly outplayed his opponent for the bigger part of the game. The much sought after win has lifted the spirits in the camp and left the boys rearing to go all out against Cyprus in the third round to be played on Thursday 30th August 2012 at 3 pm (Ugandan time).
Uganda’s highest ranked and most experienced player on the team, Bob Bibasa (rated 2213) who has been rested in the first two games will be given his first taste of the action in the place of Ssegwanyi who is to be rested in the third round.
In the ladies’ second round encounter, experienced reigned as Luxemburg’s Woman International Master defeated Uganda’s Grace Kigeni on board one. On board two, Ivy Amoko (Uganda’s only rated female at 1705) lost to Marie Boyard (rated 2035) and Goretti Angolikin painfully lost a game she should have won to Vlada Boyarchenko (rated 1755). Mutesi pulled off an all important draw against Kremer Nadine (rated 1788) and this could ultimately prove vital in contributing to her international rating prospects. The Ugandan ladies are now set to play Fiji in the third round.