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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter

MASVINGO is set to host a Zimbabwe Chess Federation Grand Prix tournament next week.

The tournament, to be held on October 22 and 23 will be the main grand prix tournament to be held post Covid-19 restrictions era and a first in Masvingo in three years. Registration for the tournament opened yesterday and is set to close two days before the tournament commences on October 20.

The tournament will also be played in accordance with International Chess Federation (FIDE) laws.
The tournament will be played over seven rounds as a FIDE rated Swiss System with the time control being 30 minutes per player without increment.

Entry fees for the open and women section are pegged at US$3 for ZCF affiliates while non affiliates are supposed to pay US$5, in the juniors section which is the Under-14s, registration is US$2 for primary schools and secondary schools will pay ZW$3 000 per individual and for universities it will be ZW$5 000 per individual.

The first day of the tournament will see five rounds being played whilst the last day will just have two rounds, round six and seven and a walkover will only be claimed 15 minutes after the scheduled start of a match.

The open and women sections will only be able to accommodate 60 and 40 players respectively and affiliated players will receive first priority for slots in the event that the tournament is over subscribed.

In the open section, the winner will go home with a prize money of US$200, a trophy and gold medal whilst number two will pocket US$120 and a silver medal. Third position will go home with US$70 and a bronze medal, positions four and five will pocket US$50 as well as US$30 respectively. The best under-20 will go home with US$15 and a certificate.

In the women’s section, first position will be awarded a prize money of US$100, a trophy and a gold medal, second position will take home US$80 and a silver medal while third place will be awarded US$70 and a bronze medal. Positions four and five will pocket a prize money of US$50 and US$30 respectively.

The best under-20 will get US$15 and a certificate as well.
Prize funds will however, be shared equally by players who finish on the same number of points.

Chess – Image taken from Shutterstock

ZFC Masvingo province chairperson Jerimiah Moyana said they are looking forward to hosting such a prestigious event as rising stars will have the chance to rub shoulders with their role models and also prove that they have what it takes to host big events.

“We feel honoured to host such a great tournament and it means a lot to the province especially to the up and coming chess players to have a chance to play their role models and for the province to prove our capabilities in hosting such huge events, looking forward to hosting a continental championship if we are given a chance,” said Moyana.

Spectators will not be allowed and electronic devices together with mobile phones will also be prohibited from the playing hall. – Follow on Twitter @brandon_malvin