Top seeds suffer upset as Eldoret Open Chess Championship gets underway
.png)
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 07.02.26. | 16:33
Another upset was on board 11, where two-time national champion Mehul Gohil found the going tough against unknown Terence Muhambe
Elly Cheruiyot shocked Kaloki Hawi in the first round of the Eldoret Open Chess Championship, which commenced on Saturday at St.Luke’s Hospital.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
Cheruiyot rated 1748 caused the tournament’s biggest upset by bringing down Hawi, who is the highest rated player in the country at 2173.
After the pairings for round one were done, this looked like a one-sided affair, given the rating difference of more than 400 between the two players.
Another upset was on board 11, where two-time national champion Mehul Gohil found the going tough against unknown Terence Muhambe.
Mehul, who is playing his first match of the year, has an impressive rating of 1951 and was expected to have it easy against his opponent, who boasts a rating of 1693.
Mehul GohilThe tournament was also hit by a number of walk-overs in the first round as players arrived late for their games.
Veteran coach Tom Amwai picked an easy win courtesy of a walkover after his opponent, Madol Garang, failed to turn up.
Sudanese Gon Thon, one of the favourites to win the tournament, failed to show up for his first round clash against Joseph Gathogo.
KCB Open ladies champion Bella Nashipae, the only player in the Open section, picked a win against Darien Kigen in the first round.
In the ladies' section, former national champion Joyce Nyaruai is leading after two rounds of matches with two points.
She beat Mutwol Cheryl in the first match before stopping fellow teammate Gloria Jumba in the second match.
Shalom Jepkosgei is also second on two points, while Kisumu-based Shukri Shakira is third on 1.5 points. African under-14 ladies champion Elizabeth Cassidy is a close fourth after picking 1.5 points.
The Eldoret Open Championships is the first senior event in the Chess Kenya calendar this year.
It acts as a Grand Prix event to be used in selecting the Kenyan team that will feature in various international tournaments next year.
The tournament is now in its second year and has seen a significant increase in the prize fund, rising from Ksh80,000 paid out last year to Ksh16,000 on offer this year.
.jpg)
