Former national chess champions on redemption path after big win in Eldoret
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 10.02.26. | 14:45
She ruled the event with six points after winning all her matches and collected the Kshs.20,000 prize fund on offer
When the ladies' team for this year’s Chess Olympiad in Kazakhstan was named, one notable name was missing on the list.
Former national champion Joyce Nyaruai had her name missing from the team after finishing outside the top five.
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It was a major disappointment for Nyaruai, who had been looking forward to her fifth Olympiad appearance.
“I was devastated by the miss, but that is now behind me. I am looking forward to making a strong comeback this year,” she said.
The KCB player indeed began her return to the national team with a perfect performance at the Eldoret Open Chess Championship over the weekend.
She ruled the event with six points after winning all her matches and collected the Kshs.20,000 prize fund on offer.
“This win is the first step towards making it back to the national team, and it could not have come at a better time,” she said.
Though the top two players, national champion Julie Mutisya and Sasha Mongeli, did not take part in the two-day event, Nyaruai insists she had prepared well to meet the duo.
“It is a bit disappointing that they did not show up for the Eldoret Open Chess Championship. I had prepared to take on them and even win,” she added.
Africa under-14 champion Elizabeth Cassidy, also from KCB, finished runners-up in the ladies section after collecting 4.5 points.
Nicole Albright from Mavens Chess Club finished in third position after collecting 4.5 points.
Ugandan Wagodo Abdul Shakuru won the open section on 5.5 points, pocketing Kshs.45,000 in the process.
Shakuru, who plays locally for Victoria Chess Club, won against all odds as he nearly missed the first round, arriving with just twenty minutes remaining on the clock.
Six players shared the second position on five points each.
They include: Brian Irungu, former national champion Mehul Gohil, Steven Okeyo, Victor Ngani, Yaak Garang and Gabriel Njuki.
KCB won the trophy for the best corporate ahead of Equity Bank.
Mavens Chess Club claimed the trophy for the best club.