The 2018 edition of the annual National Chess Championship will be played over two consecutive weekends, beginning Saturday, at IPRC-Kigali in Kicukiro. It is a contest that will determine who takes over the crown from Dr Ben Karenzi, the former commandant of Rwanda Military Hospital, and 16-year old Sandrine Uwase. The two were last December crowned as the 2017 male and female national champions, respectively. Rwanda Chess Federation (FERWADE) president Kevin Ganza said: “It is going to be organised differently. “We used to have it in two phases; pre-qualifiers and finals, but this time around it will be one phase determining the Champion.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw