Rapid chess tournament hosted over weekend

The Namibia Chess Federation hosted the first Namibia National Rapid Chess Championship at the Nictus Cultural Centre in Windhoek on Saturday.

Chess was played in nine rounds of 15 minutes and five seconds each in the annual national event.

The title was split into two halves: the women's and open sections.

"This is more enjoyable for us, really. It is not a serious setting; it is a quick and fast thing," the president of the federation, Goodwill Khoa, said.

"It's good to see that a lot of youngsters signed up for the event, especially the ones that are going to Egypt to represent Namibia. It’s good to see that they are putting in the effort and training really hard," he added.



Enjoyable event

He said the vision of the federation is to cater to all Namibians and expressed gratitude to participants who travelled all the way from the coast to compete in the championship.

"I am really enjoying the championship," said James Dien, one of the junior under-10 chess players who will represent Namibia in Egypt.

The championships began on Saturday and concluded with a Blitz Chess Championships on Sunday.

Khoa expressed his appreciation to the younger player who excelled throughout the championship. The championship was proudly sponsored by RMB.



2023 Namibia National Rapid Chess Championship women's section winners

1 Khoa Lutopu with 9 points.

2 Nepando Jolly-Joice with 7 points.

3 Tjatindi Kamutuua with 7 points.

4 Sihlahla, Kyllikki with 6 points.



2023 Namibia National Rapid Chess Championship open section winners

1 Ndahangwapo Heskiel with 9 points.

2 Uapingene Jossy with 6.5 points.

3 Boois Ivan with 6.5 points.

4 Nghifikwa Leonard with 6 points.