Chess: Top Foreign Players Set to Compete in Highly Anticipated 2023 Kenya Open Chess Championship

The upcoming Kenya Open Chess Championship, scheduled from April 6th to 10th at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi, is set to be a fiercely competitive event following the entry of numerous top foreign players. 

As of Tuesday morning, 131 players had registered for the Open, including eight Grandmasters (GM), three Women Grandmasters (WGM), five International Masters (IM), one International Woman Grandmaster (IWM), and five Fide Masters (FM).

The prize purse of Sh5,513,600 ($42,000) is responsible for attracting such a strong field, according to Chess Kenya (CK) president Bernard Wanjala. “Most of the players have been attracted by the cash prizes,” said Wanjala. “As things stand, it will be the most competitive chess competition ever held in Kenya”, he added.

Registration is still open until April 2nd, and the number of participants is expected to increase. 

The players will compete in the Open, Ladies, Veterans (50+), Persons With Disability (PWD) Open, and Ladies Sections. 

Cash prizes will be awarded to all top 10 finishers in both the Open and Ladies sections, as well as the top three players in the Veterans, PWD Open, and PWD Ladies Sections.

The winner of the Open Section will receive Sh1 million, with the first and second runners-up receiving Sh750,000 and Sh500,000 respectively. 

In the Ladies’ Section, the top player will pocket Sh500,000, while those who emerged second and third will receive Sh350,000 and Sh200,000 respectively. The top players in the Veterans, PWD Open, and PWD Ladies categories will receive Sh50,000, 100,000, and 50,000 respectively.

CK will cover the registration fee and accommodation costs for GMs and WGMs, while IMs and IWM will have their registration fees catered for by the federation. 

Equity Chess Club captain Wanjala hopes that this will attract more top players to the competition and improve the level of the game locally. “Having them here is good since it will give the local players the much-needed exposure thus improving their game,” said Wanjala.

With a Fide elo rating of 2661, Azerbaijani GM Guseinov Gadir is the highest-ranked player to have registered for the Open so far. 

His compatriot GM Safarli Eltaj (2608), Latvian GM Meshkovs Nikita (2586), Russian GM Ponkratov Pavel (2580), and Paraguayan GM Delgado Ramirez (2560) follow in that order. 

Kenya’s top-ranked player, Robert Mcligeyo, has confirmed that he will register for the Open. Kenneth Omollo (2089) is currently Kenya’s highest-ranked player to have registered for the tournament, ranked at position 21.