By RONALD CHAWE –
INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Daniel Jere and Women Fide Master (WFM) Lorita Mwango won the 2017 Debswana Developmental Botswana Open Chess Championship men and women titles respectively.
Jere, who had recorded five wins from five on Day One, was forced to settle for two draws in the last two rounds against fellow Zambian and IM Chitumbo Mwali and Botswana’s Keletshabil Monnatsheko in the sixth and seventh round, to end the tournament on six points.
He finished half a point better than Musatwe Simutowe, who lost to Jere and drew against Botswana’s IM Providence Oatlhotse.
The Zambians completed the total dominance at the event when Mwali edged both Botswana’s Fide Master (FM) Thato Olebile and Spencer Masango of Zimbabwe on a direct encounter tie breaks to grab the third position with five points.
Olebile finished fourth with Masango got a fifth place while Oatlhotse took the sixth place with 4.5points and was par with Monnatsheko, who snatched the seventh place on a tie break.
Judah Simulundu ended his campaign in 14th place but was tied on four points with seven other Botswana players in the category that attracted 34 players.
In the ladies category, Mwango snatched the title from the nose of favourite Epah Jere, the Women International Master (WIM), who later drew her last game against Susan Sethebe.
Prior to the final round of games, the duo had jointly commanded the first position with five wins and a draw which came when the two faced each other in the third round.
Mwango beat WIM Kgalalelo Botlhole in the final round to accumulate an impressive 6.5 points, which was half a point better than her compatriot Jere.
Botswana’s WIM duo of Boikhutso Modongo and Onkemetse Francis were tied on five points each and finished in the third and fourth position respectively.
Zambia’s Phylis Mwilola, a Women Candidate Master (WCM), and Milika Tembo came out 12th and 20th on the slot with four and 3.5 points respectively.