09:59, Friday, 9th September, 2016
The September ratings analysis was a little delayed this month due to the ongoing Olympiad in Baku but has now been updated on our main website - see http://www.kcfafrica.com/en/content/country-rankings.
Last month saw Morroco rise 2 places in the overall country rankings and they are now ranked 3rd in Africa. South Africa continues to slide and is now 6th.
Morroco also created more than 30 new rated players in August and now has the 4th highest number of rated players among African chess federations. They held a number of rated tournaments in the month of August which have helped them to achieve this.
The month was fairly quiet as far as changes to the top of the open ranking lists were concerned but it did see IM Adnam Fawzy rise to 8th on the mens side.
On the ladies side, we see WFM Fadoua Arif (Morroco) re-enter the list at number 8 while WIM Zineb Abdi (Algeria) rose an impressive 8 places to find herself at number 9 as at the end of August.
Despite the disappointment of seeing many African countries unable to participate in Baku, we still expect some major changes next month when the results of the Olympiad are processed. We wish all participating African teams well and look forward to the updated results at the end of the tournament.
Last month saw Morroco rise 2 places in the overall country rankings and they are now ranked 3rd in Africa. South Africa continues to slide and is now 6th.
Morroco also created more than 30 new rated players in August and now has the 4th highest number of rated players among African chess federations. They held a number of rated tournaments in the month of August which have helped them to achieve this.
The month was fairly quiet as far as changes to the top of the open ranking lists were concerned but it did see IM Adnam Fawzy rise to 8th on the mens side.
On the ladies side, we see WFM Fadoua Arif (Morroco) re-enter the list at number 8 while WIM Zineb Abdi (Algeria) rose an impressive 8 places to find herself at number 9 as at the end of August.
Despite the disappointment of seeing many African countries unable to participate in Baku, we still expect some major changes next month when the results of the Olympiad are processed. We wish all participating African teams well and look forward to the updated results at the end of the tournament.
14:19, Saturday, 20th August, 2016
KCF Director, Mr Graham Jurgensen was interviewed by GM Maurice Ashley during the 8th round of the Sinquefield Cup held in St Louis.
Their conversation covered topics ranging from the work that KCF is doing in Africa to Maurice's recent experiences during his African tour.
The interview segment is now available on our KCF YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT0oMTOjYiE
Their conversation covered topics ranging from the work that KCF is doing in Africa to Maurice's recent experiences during his African tour.
The interview segment is now available on our KCF YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT0oMTOjYiE
14:35, Thursday, 18th August, 2016
We were extremely privileged to be able to attend an advance screening of the Queen of Katwe during the Sinquefield Cup tournament in St Louis.
The film is officially scheduled to premier in select markets on 23 September with the global release planned for the 30 September.
Listening to the reaction of some of the best players in the world it is clear its going to be a major success.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in chess in Africa!
The film is officially scheduled to premier in select markets on 23 September with the global release planned for the 30 September.
Listening to the reaction of some of the best players in the world it is clear its going to be a major success.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in chess in Africa!
15:19, Saturday, 13th August, 2016
The three winners of our Millionaire Chess Dream Maker Satellite tournaments have now been successfully registered and they will be joining a top field featuring many of the worlds best players in the finals in Atlantic City.
The Millionaire Chess website just posted this nice article profiling Maurice's recent trip to Africa. See https://millionairechess.com/mc-newsletter-64-july-gone-just-two-months-...
The latest list of participants is also posted at
https://millionairechess.com/mc3-list-participants for those interested in seeing what they are up against!
The Millionaire Chess website just posted this nice article profiling Maurice's recent trip to Africa. See https://millionairechess.com/mc-newsletter-64-july-gone-just-two-months-...
The latest list of participants is also posted at
https://millionairechess.com/mc3-list-participants for those interested in seeing what they are up against!
12:00, Friday, 5th August, 2016
Round 1 of the 2016 Sinquefield Cup will get under way this evening at 20.00 Central African Time (GMT +2).
The tournament is the third leg of the 2016 Grand Chess Tour and features 10 of the 14 best players on the planet. The average rating is 2779 making the the event one of the strongest fields ever assembled.
Live games will be broadcast from the official tournament website with commentary available in English, French, German and Spanish.
Tune in to http://grandchesstour.org/live-2016-sinquefield-cup-grand-chess-tour to watch the worlds best players in action every evening until the winner is finally crowned on the 15 August!
The tournament is the third leg of the 2016 Grand Chess Tour and features 10 of the 14 best players on the planet. The average rating is 2779 making the the event one of the strongest fields ever assembled.
Live games will be broadcast from the official tournament website with commentary available in English, French, German and Spanish.
Tune in to http://grandchesstour.org/live-2016-sinquefield-cup-grand-chess-tour to watch the worlds best players in action every evening until the winner is finally crowned on the 15 August!
17:33, Thursday, 4th August, 2016
The August Rating list has been released and there are some significant movements after a very active month which included the 3 Millionaire Chess Satellite events as well as the African Individual Championships in Uganda.
Morroco added no less than 80 new FIDE rated players in July alone after holding their national championships, as well as a large junior event and a large open event all in the same month. They have surged to 5th on the list of African countries with the most number of FIDE rated players.
The on the individual front, FM Andrew Kayonde and FM Moklis el Adnani both climbed 7 spots and are now ranked 12th and 13th respectively on the Open list.
On the ladies side the biggest gainer was WFM Eman Elansary from Egypt who rose 6 places to sit in 8th place overall.
The recent trend of strong female players emerging in Nigeria has also continued this month and we must take note of the performance of Precious Agbazue who enters the FIDE rating list for the first time as the number 1 ranked female player in Nigeria and number 11 in Africa overall.
Younger players are also now finally starting to emerge in Ghana and we also wish to congratulate Joseph Jamena who finally reached his goal of topping the national ranking list in Ghana for this first time this month.
The full stats for August can be viewed as usual at http://www.kcfafrica.com/en/content/country-statistics.
Morroco added no less than 80 new FIDE rated players in July alone after holding their national championships, as well as a large junior event and a large open event all in the same month. They have surged to 5th on the list of African countries with the most number of FIDE rated players.
The on the individual front, FM Andrew Kayonde and FM Moklis el Adnani both climbed 7 spots and are now ranked 12th and 13th respectively on the Open list.
On the ladies side the biggest gainer was WFM Eman Elansary from Egypt who rose 6 places to sit in 8th place overall.
The recent trend of strong female players emerging in Nigeria has also continued this month and we must take note of the performance of Precious Agbazue who enters the FIDE rating list for the first time as the number 1 ranked female player in Nigeria and number 11 in Africa overall.
Younger players are also now finally starting to emerge in Ghana and we also wish to congratulate Joseph Jamena who finally reached his goal of topping the national ranking list in Ghana for this first time this month.
The full stats for August can be viewed as usual at http://www.kcfafrica.com/en/content/country-statistics.
20:37, Monday, 1st August, 2016
The overnight leaders in Accra both had excellent last days which eventually saw them share first place with an impressive total of 8/9 each.
Overnight leader Ajibola Olanrewaju just edged out FM Simplice Degondo on tie-break to take the first place trophy but both players will be very pleased as they recorded 2300+ performances and earned 43 and 51 rating points respectively.
FM Ochuko Onovughe finished in a distant 3rd place with 6/9 while CM Joseph Jamena justified his position as the top rated player in Ghana by finishing as the best local player in 5th place overall.
The ladies prize was shared between Angela Ayiku and Christiana Ashley who are both slated to represent Ghana at the forthcoming Olympiad in Baku in September.
We wish to congratulate all the winners and we thank the Ghana Chess Association, the Sheraton Hotel and Reisseco for partnering with us to put on another top tournament.
Final standings and the key games from the event can be downloaded from http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231927.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&wi=821.
Overnight leader Ajibola Olanrewaju just edged out FM Simplice Degondo on tie-break to take the first place trophy but both players will be very pleased as they recorded 2300+ performances and earned 43 and 51 rating points respectively.
FM Ochuko Onovughe finished in a distant 3rd place with 6/9 while CM Joseph Jamena justified his position as the top rated player in Ghana by finishing as the best local player in 5th place overall.
The ladies prize was shared between Angela Ayiku and Christiana Ashley who are both slated to represent Ghana at the forthcoming Olympiad in Baku in September.
We wish to congratulate all the winners and we thank the Ghana Chess Association, the Sheraton Hotel and Reisseco for partnering with us to put on another top tournament.
Final standings and the key games from the event can be downloaded from http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231927.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&wi=821.
18:47, Sunday, 31st July, 2016
With 2 rounds to go a tight race is emerging in Accra between
second seed, Olanrewaju Ajibola from Nigeria and FM Simplice Degondo from Cote d'Ívoire.
These two players are starting to pull clear of the rest of the field and Ajibola will takes a narrow half point into the final days play tomorrow.
While Ajibola is well placed having already won the head to head encounter in round 4 against Simplice, he will need to remain vigilant in the final two rounds if he hopes to lift the winners trophy tomorrow evening.
The action from the last 2 rounds will conclude tomorrow and standings and tournament games are now available at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231927.aspx?lan=1 for those wishing to track the results.
We thank Mr Kwadwo Bonsu for providing the images below from the tournament playing hall.
second seed, Olanrewaju Ajibola from Nigeria and FM Simplice Degondo from Cote d'Ívoire.
These two players are starting to pull clear of the rest of the field and Ajibola will takes a narrow half point into the final days play tomorrow.
While Ajibola is well placed having already won the head to head encounter in round 4 against Simplice, he will need to remain vigilant in the final two rounds if he hopes to lift the winners trophy tomorrow evening.
The action from the last 2 rounds will conclude tomorrow and standings and tournament games are now available at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231927.aspx?lan=1 for those wishing to track the results.
We thank Mr Kwadwo Bonsu for providing the images below from the tournament playing hall.
10:10, Friday, 29th July, 2016
A busy month of chess is finally coming to an end but the 2016 Presidents Cup has just got under way at the SHERIDAN HOTEL in Accra, Ghana.
The FIDE Rated Open Swiss section has attracted players from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote dIvoire and England and is headlined by FM Eugene Uwanna (2217) and FM Ochuko Onovughe (2208) who both hail from Nigeria.
A one day tournament focusing on junior players will be held on Saturday 30 July in parallel with the main tournament. This event will provide many local juniors with the opportunity to interact with the top players from abroad.
Details of the tournament can be found at http://www.kcfafrica.com/sites/default/files/6th%20President%27s%20Cup%2...
while the pairings and results are available at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231927.aspx?lan=1
We look forward to some fighting chess as the top players from Ghana look to use the event as preparation for the forthcoming World Chess Olympiad in Baku in September.
The FIDE Rated Open Swiss section has attracted players from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote dIvoire and England and is headlined by FM Eugene Uwanna (2217) and FM Ochuko Onovughe (2208) who both hail from Nigeria.
A one day tournament focusing on junior players will be held on Saturday 30 July in parallel with the main tournament. This event will provide many local juniors with the opportunity to interact with the top players from abroad.
Details of the tournament can be found at http://www.kcfafrica.com/sites/default/files/6th%20President%27s%20Cup%2...
while the pairings and results are available at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231927.aspx?lan=1
We look forward to some fighting chess as the top players from Ghana look to use the event as preparation for the forthcoming World Chess Olympiad in Baku in September.
13:37, Tuesday, 26th July, 2016
The 2016 Madagascar Open concluded at the Hotel Colbert on Sunday and saw FM Fy Rakotomaharo retain the title he won with a perfect score last year.
This time around, the final rounds were not without drama however as IM Alain RANAIVOHARISOA caused a major upset in round 6 when he defeated Fy to take a narrow half point lead.
Alain stumbled however in round 8 against CM Faniry RAJAONARISON and this was enough to allow Fy to recapture the lead and ultimately retain his title with a score of 8/9.
Alain finished second on 7.5/9 ahead of Miloud MEZOUAGHI from France who ended in third place overall as the highest placed foreign player.
We want to congratulate the FMJE on another excellent tournament as it is clear that the standard of play in Madagascar is improving rapidly year on year.
Final standings as well as games from the tournament are now available for download at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231133.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&turdet=YES&....
This time around, the final rounds were not without drama however as IM Alain RANAIVOHARISOA caused a major upset in round 6 when he defeated Fy to take a narrow half point lead.
Alain stumbled however in round 8 against CM Faniry RAJAONARISON and this was enough to allow Fy to recapture the lead and ultimately retain his title with a score of 8/9.
Alain finished second on 7.5/9 ahead of Miloud MEZOUAGHI from France who ended in third place overall as the highest placed foreign player.
We want to congratulate the FMJE on another excellent tournament as it is clear that the standard of play in Madagascar is improving rapidly year on year.
Final standings as well as games from the tournament are now available for download at http://www.chess-results.com/tnr231133.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&turdet=YES&....
