For the third time running and for the ninth time in ten years, Fide Master Harold Wanyama scooped gold on board one.
Wanyama ended the league with a 100% record after he won all his ten games as he helped Kireka retain the title while adding gongs to his collection. The Olympian missed four of the fourteen rounds played including the final two hence the ten points.
It is a routine now for the reigning Uganda Sports Press Association [USPA] Chess Player of the Year to bag a gold medal at every end of the season. With exception of the year 2014 when his current teammate Simon Gonza won gold on board one while playing for Mulago Knights, Wanyama has since 2007 been the top man on the first board.
The FM won the medal ahead of Kireka B’s Rajab Kamoga who came second with 9.5 points and Bank of Uganda’s Allan Mathias Ssonko who completed the podium positions with 8.5.
Board two had four players viz. FM Haruna Nsubuga, Farouk Fauza Kizza, Bob Bibasa and Fred Migabo tie on 9.5points, but shockingly, Bibasa who played more games than the former two won gold.
Kizza didn’t make the podium as he ended fourth while Nsubuga settled for bronze. Migade from Mighty Bishops went home with silver.
The third board saw Uganda Chess Federation Publicity Secretary David Muwanguzi walk away with gold. Muwanguzi collected 12.5 points from 14 games. Silver went to Gonza who finished with 10 points and Dmark’s Walter Okas secured bronze.
Onto board four – the only board that had no Kireka player appear on the podium, Rodgers Kalema [Gambit Chess Club], Eritrean Amanuel Abraha [Mulago Knights] and William Otim [Mulago Rooks] took the podium places in descending order.
The fifth board – the ladies board – saw BOU’s WFM Grace Kigeni finish first with 11 points, second went to Gloria Nansubuga from SOM Katwe with 9 points, while WFM Goretti Angolikin, a board five player at Kireka took bronze with 8.5 points
This year’s league saw different faces make the podium. Only Wanyama, Kamoga [a board two gold winner last year] and David Muwanguzi [last year’s board two bronze winner] managed to maintain their podium finishes.
FM Patrick Kawuma, IM Elijah Emojong, Kenneth Kakooza, Grace Daniel Nsubuga, Edgar Ntende, Kizza, Thomas Katairo, Nelson Mubiru, Richard Tugume, WFM Christine Namaganda, Joan Nakimuli and Catherine Lanyero all failed to make the cut this time around.
Emojong, however, played only five games.
Overall, the top five players according to points accumulated this season were Muwanguzi, Kigeni, Wanyama, Otim and Gonza.
