Chess Olympiad hopefuls set for finals

The top five from the Chess Olympiad pre-qualifiers that concluded Sunday night will not waste time as they anticipate an even tougher battle – the final qualifiers, in May. Ben Tom Zimurinda, Joseph Nzabanita, Fidele Mutabazi, Valentin Rukimbira, and Jean Baptiste Hakizimana, were best five at the end of a grueling three-day nine-round contest. They will, in May, join five other top players who previously qualified automatically for a final contest from which the best five will be picked for the five slots available in the national team – the open category in which men or women can compete for places. All 10 will fight for places on the national team for the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan in September. The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament that attracts teams from all over the world. “It was one very good thing qualifying, but I am not going to sit and relax. I will train even harder, my goal is to be on the plane to Baku,” Zimurinda told Times Sport. “But most importantly, when in Baku, I will be on a mission, not on a tour.” Zimurinda and Nzabanita garnered seven points each with the former holding a better tie break, while Mutabazi got 6.5 points. Rukimbira and Hakizimana managed six and five points respectively, after the latter lost to the former in the last round. A win for Hakizimana, however, would have seen Rukimbira packing his bags. Alain Patience Niyibizi, the 2015 male national champion; Eugene Mugema Kagabo, winner of the recent Rwanda Open 2016 tournament; and three Candidate Masters (CMs) – Alexis Ruzigura, Maxance Murara and Godfrey Kabera, are the other five. In May, five top ladies will also compete for the women category. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Chess Olympiad hopefuls set for finals