Eugene Mugema Kagabo on Sunday emerged winner of the annual Genocide memorial chess tournament that started last Friday at IPRC-Kicukiro.

The Eagles Chess Club (ECC) player battled hard to get the better of teammates, Candidate Masters (CMs) – Alexis Ruzigura and Godfrey Kabera.

After seven tricky ties, Kagabo tied with last year’s winner, Ruzigura, on 6.5 points but was number one due to a tie-break advantage. Third was Knight Chess Club’s CM Maxence Murara, with 5.0 points, followed by Kabera with a similar score and tie break drawback.

At the end of the individual contest, Kagabo did thump his chest a little, especially since he also proved his mantle by winning the tougher 2016 Rwanda Open chess championship earlier in the year.

Kagabo said: "I think winning has become ordinary routine for me now, after Rwanda Open. I am so happy. These tournaments were good warm ups ahead of the Chess Olympiad in Baku. But it’s time now for the real work. In Baku, things will be tougher.”

And, like any chess competition, there were some bolts from the blue.

Among others, for the second time in a competition, Ian Murara, 13, of Knight Chess Club got the better of Alain Patience Niyibizi, the 2015 male national chess champion.

Niyibizi blundered in their meet in the second round of the tournament and the youngster just could not surrender his lead, but fired endless bullets to claim a deserved win.

Christian Mukama, 18, a senior six student from the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Technical High School in Kagugu, also defied the odds to garner 4.0 points and emerge ninth as well as best young player of the tournament. Mukama took home a trophy and a medal.

Chess for unity

Meanwhile, while officiating at the closing ceremony, the Rwanda National Olympic Committee vice president, Elie Manirarora, urged chess players to shun any bad ideologies against national unity and reconciliation.

"Games and sports are a tool for achieving unity, peace and development, not conflict. Chess players need to strive to build harmony and unity. If sport played its role, no sportsperson would have perished in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” Manirarora said.

He particularly advised the Rwanda Chess Federation (FERWADE) to watch out for divisive trends, during its nascent phase, and in the future when it becomes more successful.

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