Candidate Master (CM) Alexis Ruzigura and his Eagles Chess Club (ECC) teammate Fidele Mutabazi conquered opponents in the first two rounds to lead the table with two points each.

The ECC players won their first two matches – last night and this morning – but it is too early to tell which five of the 10 contestants in this fierce individual contest are guaranteed a place in the open section of the national team for the 2016 Chess Olympiad.

The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament where teams from all over the world compete.

The first round of games determining five players who will make the national team for the 2016 Chess Olympiad started late Friday, at Classic Hotel, in Kigali.

In the course of two consecutive weekends, nine rounds will be played, with 10 players challenging for a place on the team of five that will carry Rwanda’s flag at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan from September 1 to 14.

A win earns a player one point while a draw is half a point.

The 10 contestants are: Alain Patience Niyibizi, the reigning male national champion, Eugene Mugema Kagabo, Candidate Masters (CMs) – Ruzigura, Maxance Murara and Godfrey Kabera, Ben Tom Zimurinda, Joseph Nzabanita, Mutabazi, Valentin Rukimbira, and Jean-Baptiste Hakizimana.