The year has come to a close; it’s time to look back at the year that arguably shaped the future of Rwanda Chess.

A review of the key headlines from 2015 will shed some light on how events in this past year set the stage for 2016.

The Top 11 Chess Stories of 2015

 The year 2015 was a very active one for Rwanda Chess. Despite the lingering hindrances – financial and organizational, among others – there are no doubts that Rwanda Chess made imperative strides in the past 12 months.

FERWADE seeks mentors for Mini-chess programme

 By end January, the Rwanda Chess Federation (FERWADE) was looking for mentors to roll out its coveted Mini-Chess programme which is essentially an educational programme developed for entry phase learners (5 to 9 year olds) as part of the school curriculum.

 Mini-Chess is not only about teaching chess but also an ingenious and efficient way of teaching mathematics using chess materials.

It has since then flourished in the five pilot primary schools – GS Ste Famille, GS Akumunigo, both in Nyarugenge District; GS Kimisange and GS Masaka I, in Kicukiro District; and EP Mayange B, in Bugesera District. The hundreds of kids in this project will undoubtedly make Rwanda’s future stars, very soon.

Chess federation’s new leadership vows to promote game

Come February, the Chess fraternity elected officials to fill two posts that had stayed vacant for over a year, a situation that often paralyzed FERWADE operations.

An Extraordinary General Assembly elected Innocent Kangwangye as new FERWADE President, replacing Sana Maboneza. Christella Rugabira Girizina became Treasurer, replacing Gervais Baziki.

A reinvigorated executive committee promised to promote the game in primary and secondary schools countrywide.

The duo would from then on team up with Kevin Ganza and Alain Patience Niyibizi, the Vice President and Secretary General, respectively, to carry out the federation’s mandate until April 2016.

Rwanda Open Chess Competition Starts 

OnFebruary 20, an open Chess tournament that would give the coveted World Chess Federation (FIDE) rating to more unrated Rwandans started at Ecole Francaise Antoine de St Exupery, in Kigali. It was the first time Rwanda was hosting a rated chess tournament.

Before the tournament begun Rwanda had eight rated players but this number increased to 14 afterwards. Playing against stronger opposition was good for Rwanda as one only improves when playing against stronger opponents.

Shortly after the tournament, Rwanda’s global ranking would move up three places to 162nd, thanks to the six newly rated players. A country is ranked according to the average rating of its top 10 active rated players.

National Chess Championship back

OnMarch 21, the National Chess Championship, an important but long forgotten chess affair, was revived following a decade’s absence on the chess calendar.

Shortly after, and for the first time, after more than 10 years, the male and female national champions would be crowned. Alexis Ruzigura and Marie Faustine Shimwa became the 2014 male and female national chess champions.

Uganda dominate Zone 4.2 Chess Championships

Towards the end of April, Uganda’s Arthur Ssegwanyi won the Zone 4.2 Chess Championships held in Kampala after garnering 7.5 points in the nine-round open category.

Number two was Egypt’s International Master (IM), Hesham Abdelrahman, with 6.5 points, followed by two other Ugandans, Patrick Kawuma and Raphael Buti, with 6.5 and 6.0 points, respectively.

 The best part for Rwanda was not in the Ugandans’ dominance. No. Rwanda’s representatives, Valentin Rukimbira and Odile Kalisa, had a very bad outing. In the men’s category, Rukimbira won two matches, beating two Tanzanians opponents.

In the ladies category, also dominated by Egypt and Uganda, Kalisa only managed a win (one point) against Burundian.

Most importantly, however, the battering they suffered was good when you think about the lessons they learnt. Their crushing losses would help them appreciate their weaknesses and focus on improving.

Eagles lead after day one of revived national chess league

The inter-club ties of the national league championship started. Eagles Chess Club (ECC), the only club fielding two teams in the games would, as predicted, dominate and lead the table after the first two rounds.

A stage for club rivalry was set and this, hopefully, would make positive competition possible and thus improve the game in the country.

But even as the Eagles plotted to dominate the local Chess scene, the most impressing aspect, again, was that the long forgotten national league was revived after a seven-year lull. It was yet another indicator that Rwanda chess was going places, good places, and the future was bright.

The optimism was best punctuated by Knight Chess Club (KCC) when the latter decided to field 13-year-old Ian Murara on their team. The teen has since then, only kept improving.

Chess: Thirteen-year-old Murara makes history

When the qualifiers begun, Ian Murara, would defy the odds to make the top six winners of the national Championship Qualifiers, a seven round tournament that held at Hilltop Hotel.

The grade nine pupil at Green Hills Academy emerged sixth after garnering 4.5 points. He won four matches – including a gratis win awarded after an opponent failed to show up in the fifth round – and drew one.

Many, including FERWADE Executive Secretary Alain Patience Niyibizi, who was chief arbiter, we "very impressed by Ian’s steady progress.” A total 24 players participated in the tournament that had eight players less than 18 years. Murara was the youngest.

When Rwanda’s future chess stars made an impression

Come December, there is no doubt the most impressive tournament of the year was the two-day Youth Championship. Rwanda’s future chess stars convened at Hilltop Hotel to showcase their prowess as children under 18 years of age vied for medals and trophies in an event last held in 2013.

The December event had a superior glitter to it. The kids displayed remarkable talent.

And, unlike in the past when only eight kids – four boys and four girls under 14 years of age – participated, there were 36 this year, most of them (22) under 15 years.

The overall winner of the under-15-category, Kevin Marius Ikuzwe, 12, a senior one student who, is destined to be a star and, the federation promised to assist in his development.

Due to the remarkable intelligence of the youngsters, the federation is now working to see that next year; all national youth tournaments will be organized such that the winners can eventually have time to register and then participate in international tournaments.

Happiness Mutete, 8, the tournament’s number seven also impressed. The petite good-natured primary three pupil was not supposed to get an award since prizes were only planned for the top five also but her passion and skill won her an unexpected brand-new chess set.

She trounced older opponents in a swift style that intrigued, as well as amazed spectators. Watching her games, Marie Faustine Shimwa, the reigning national female champion, decided that she cannot afford to rest on her laurels.

FERWADE organises second rated Chess tournament

Rwanda hosted its second rated national chess tournament in December. After five more players became rated the country now has 20 rated players.

Even though Rwanda’s December global rating remained fixed at 162nd, as it was last month, the year closed with the country galloping seven places to 155th in the global ranking.

Niyibizi, Shimwa are 2015 national chess champions

By mid December, Alain Patience Niyibizi and Marie Faustine Shimwa were crowned the 2015 male and female national chess champions respectively.

FIDE arbiter lauds Rwandan female chess prodigies

Finally, Kenyan Peter Duke Michieka, a World Chess Federation (FIDE) arbiter said young Rwandan female chess players have what it takes to be future world champions.

This was at the end of the 2015 National Chess Championship, where he saw eight youngsters make an impressive debut in the biggest local chess tournament.

"Rwandan kids are quite well conversant with the rules of play. Hardly do they make illegal moves and they all know how to record very well,” Michieka said.

The eight under 17 debutants including 8-year-old Mutete, a primary three pupil of Ecole Primaire Kinunga, in Gikondo, showed no fear.