The venue is set. The boards are set and the clocks are functioning. Players are ready so are the arbiters. It is the National Chess League and it gets underway on Sunday at Hotel Africana, with the first two rounds.
Reigning league champions Kireka A begin their title defense against SOM Kawempe, a sister club to SOM Katwe, a team that had Fide Master [FM] Harold Wanyama and his teammates sweat in their opening game last season.
Kireka won that game 3-2, but only FM Haruna Nsubuga [board 2] and Peninah Nakabo [board 5] managed to out-think their opponents . Wanyama lost to Benjamin Mukumbya on board 1 while Simon Gonza and Edgar Ntende drew their respective games.
Dmark begin life without International Master IM Arthur Ssegwanyi who joined rivals Kireka. They meet Ndejje University- a side that finished 12th in the second division last season- in the first round.
And Kireka B takes on SOM Katwe in their first game in the league. The former is a newly formed team but with players with rich experience in the league.
In other selected games, debutants Royal Knights will register their first appearance in the league against Enkabi. Royal Knights is a team made up of youngsters under the age of 12, and it’s under the tutelage of John Vianney Mukalazi, the director at Chess Life Academy.
Another debuting side is Mighty Bishops Chess Club. Like Royal Knights, it’s a division of Chess Life Academy. The side faces Aviation Chess Club in their maiden appearance in the league.
Chess Dynasty is a new club too, and they come up against Mulago Overs in the first round.
And Woman Fide Master [WFM] Ivy Clare Amoko’s team, Mulago Queens face off against Crestals a side that beat them 3-2 last season.
Crestals came 13th out of the 16 teams in the second division last term while the Queens finished 9th.
