Impressive turnout at chess workshop Participants follow proceedings during the Bulawayo Chess Association’s arbitration and coaching workshop at Girls College in Bulawayo yesterday
Participants follow proceedings during the Bulawayo Chess Association’s arbitration and coaching workshop at Girls College in Bulawayo yesterday

Participants follow proceedings during the Bulawayo Chess Association’s arbitration and coaching workshop at Girls College in Bulawayo yesterday

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
AN overwhelming 100 participants completed the two-day Bulawayo Chess Association (BCA)’s arbitration and coaching workshop, which ended at Girls College yesterday.

The top 10 participants from the workshop, attended by teachers from around the city, will officiate at the Hillside Chess Championships to be held today at Hillside Teachers’ College.

BCA organised the workshop to prepare participants for an international certification by the World Chess Federation (Fide).

Course facilitators, Fide arbiters Moses Mutipforo of Bulawayo and Kwekwe’s Wilfred Sithole were impressed with the turnout.

“We had an overwhelming 100 participants attending the first ever BCA training, which is in line with our schools’ programme. The main objective was to equip chess trainers with skills in arbitration and coaching. The top 10 participants will get to put into practice what they were taught by officiating in tomorrow’s Hillside Chess Championships,” said BCA chairman Elvis Shora.

Mutipforo covered topics, which included tournament venue setting, role of tournament arbiters, laws of chess, adjudicating using clocks, dispute resolutions during tournaments and capturing of results.

Sithole based his presentations on tactics and strategies of chess. He also covered chess hints on opening, recording games, the elements of good chess play, which include centre development, open file, pin, discovered check and the pawn chain.

“Schools are key in terms of chess development. We trust that the teachers that attended the programme will go back to their schools to apply the right skills to pupils at the grassroots. We will have more of such workshops so that we keep these people abreast of required international standards in our endeavour to develop and create interest in chess at the grassroots level,” Shora said.

Meanwhile, 150 participants are expected to compete in today’s Hillside Chess Championships.

Registration closes at 10AM. The registration fee for the tournament that has five sections, Open, Ladies, Junior A (Form 4-6), Junior B (Form 1-3) and development (Grade 7 going down) is $3.

BCA introduced the development section at the Milton Open held in September 2017 and the Hillside Chess Championships will be the second competition to play host to primary school pupils.

The development section is part of BCA’s efforts to create excitement among aspiring chess players.

@ZililoR

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