The journey across the global chess landscape is never for the faint of heart. For Uganda’s Chess team, the path has wound through the halls of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where they now face four crucial rounds left to turn their 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad campaign into a strong finish after battling through seven rounds of a gruelling 11round contest.
Seeded 106th with an average Elo rating of 2178, the Chess Cranes have endured a demanding campaign that began with a daunting 4-0 defeat to top seeds China before recovering with a series of hard earned results against Mali, Indonesia, Bahrain, Paraguay and Haiti. Their latest round was brought them face to face with Mongolia.
Uganda travelled to Samarkand with a full strength Open team combining experience and emerging talent, with the federation setting its sights on breaking into the global top 100. The squad comprises national champion Mark Wasswa Nyola, FIDE Masters Patrick Kawuma and Harold Wanyama, and Candidate Masters Emmanuel Egesa and Bob Bibasa.
Beyond the results, the Samarkand assignment is deeply significant for Uganda’s chess programme because it represents a full, well rounded presence at one of the sport’s biggest team events.
The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad is being played under a Swiss system format over 11 rounds, with standard time control of 40 moves in 90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes and a 30 second increment per move from the first move. The tournament runs from September 16 to 27.
Nor have the men stood alone under the flag. While the Chess Cranes have carried Uganda’s flag in the Open section, the Chess She Cranes have also been fighting valiantly in the Women’s section.
Captained by Sheba Naisanga, the women’s team features WIM Sana Omprakash Kayyar, WCM Juliet Asaba, WCM Patricia Kawuma, Olivia Asiimwe and WCM Shakira Ampaire. They entered the Olympiad seeded 87th with an average Elo of 1894 and have faced tightly contested matches against similarly ranked and higher seeded federations.
A Seven Round Odyssey
The narrative of Uganda’s campaign is written across the boards, round by grueling round:
Round 1 Vs China: The opening round offered perhaps the sternest possible introduction. Uganda were drawn against China, the tournament’s top seed, and were beaten 4-0. Kawuma faced Ding Liren, while Wanyama, Nyola and Egesa also took on highly rated Chinese opposition.
Round 2 vs. Mali: True to their resilient spirit, the Chess Cranes responded in Round Two with a 3-1 victory. Kawuma drew with Bakary Traore, while Wanyama and Nyola also secured half points. Bob Bibasa produced Uganda’s first individual win of the round, while Emmanuel Egesa also claimed victory as Uganda recovered from the China setback.
Round 3 Vs Indonesia: Round Three brought another demanding assignment, but Uganda showed greater resistance, collecting a 2½-1½ result according to the match record. Kawuma, Bibasa, Wanyama and Egesa were again in action, with the Ugandan players facing opposition carrying considerably higher ratings.
Round 4 Vs Bahrain: The battle pressed onward. Uganda continued the fight in Round Four against Bahrain, recording a 3½-½ result in the match record. Bibasa and Wanyama were beaten, while Nyola drew and Egesa secured a win. The result kept the Chess team competing in the middle section of a massive field as the tournament moved deeper into its second half.
Round 5 Vs Paraguay: Round Five against Paraguay proved to be another close encounter. Uganda lost the match 3½-½ in the recorded result, with Kawuma and Wanyama winning their individual games while Bibasa drew. Nyola was beaten in the fourth board encounter.
Round 6 Vs Haiti: Refusing to dwell on setbacks, the Chess Cranes bounced back against Haiti in Round Six, winning 2½-1½. Kawuma lost to Jean Louis Marckens, but Bibasa and Egesa won their games, while Nyola drew with Ritchy David Volcimus to give Uganda the narrow team victory.
Round 7 Vs Mongolia: Then came Mongolia in Round Seven. The match record lists Uganda against the 51st seeded Mongolian side, with the individual games featuring Kawuma against Sumiya Bilguun, Bibasa against Munkhdalai Amilal, Wanyama against Khuyagtsogt Itgelt and Egesa against Uurtsaikh Agibileg. The recorded team result is 0-0 in the supplied record, so the individual outcomes are not fully shown in the available material.
With four rounds still on the board, Uganda has room to improve its position and pursue the federation’s stated ambition of breaking into the world’s top 100 teams. The first seven rounds have brought a mixture of heavy tests, victories, narrow defeats and valuable experience. Now the boards in Samarkand now offer four more opportunities for Uganda’s players to finish the Olympiad on a high and leave their mark on the world’s biggest team chess stage.