By GWEN CHIPASULA –
Zambia has jumped to the top of the 2016 Africa Schools Chess Championships with a haul of seven medals, three of them being gold medals.
In a tournament taking place at the Golden Peacock in Lusaka, Zambia also has three silver medals and a bronze medal.
Zambian players were by round seven yesterday leading in the boys’ under-17 and under-15 categories at this competition which has attracted 120 players.
In the under-17 boys’ category, Zambia’s Chola Musonda was leading with a perfect seven points after beating Mootseng Philips from Namibia.
Second was another Zambian, Raphael Mulenga who had 5.5 points and beat fellow Zambia Isaac Ngoma while Botswana’s Elias Thabo was in third placed with 4.5 points after beating Cornelius Masikini in the seventh round.
In the girls’ category, Tamuta Londani from Botswana was leading also with a perfect seven points with Zambia’s Ketty Chipoya on second place 5.5 points while South Africa’s Alicia Steyn was lying third with five points.
Londani beat fellow South African Kekana Letsatsi in seventh round while Zambia’s Ketty Chipoya beat fellow Zambian Hope Mundika.
In the under-15 boys’ category, Mutailenu Nshikokola was topping the group after beating Satish Deshpande from Kenya in round seven while second placed Tsepo Monare from Botswana beat Zambia’s Patrick Linda.
In another match third, placed Daniel Keta from Zambia beat fellow Zambian Max Sakala while fourth placed Van Antony from Namibia beat Zambia’s Fuji Takumi.
Zambia’s Lubuuto Bwalya was second in the under-15 girls’ category with six points, with leader Besa Masaiiti from Botswana topping with 6.5 points.
Lubuuto beat Kenyan Varsani Paaras who was by the seventh round lying third with 5.5 points, while group leader Besa Masaiti beat Zambian Genevra Alajmo.
The competition also has the under-13, under-9 and under-7 category.
By round seven, Kenya has recorded four medals together with South Africa while Namibia had three medals with Zimbabwe having only two medals in the competition.