The top prize was a huge (by Kenyan standards) KES 30,000 (USD 300) out of the total prize fund of slightly over KES 100,000 (USD 1,000). In the Ladies section the top prize was KES 15,000 (USD 150).
Entrance to the KCB club in Nairobi
The inaugural Kenya Open was held in 1979 and won by Richard Polaczek who was then a young 14-year-old student at the French School, Nairobi. He won the event with an impressive 7.5/8 to take home KES 2,900 (USD 420 at the historic rates) out of a prize fund of KES 10,000 (USD 1,200). Polaczek is currently an IM rated 2414 and has represented Belgium at several Olympiads.
Richard Polaczek receives his prize in 1972 ...
... and playing (with white on the left) in Echternach 42 years later
Kenya’s oldest chess club, the Nairobi Chess Club, ran the event for the first 12 years and which were sponsored by the defunct Pan African Paper Mills, Webuye. The event was then taken over by Kenya Chess Association (now called Chess Kenya) and has over the years remained one of the biggest events in the Kenyan calendar.
Ben Nguku ended up with 7.0/8, the same as Mehul Gohil, but he emerged as a winner on tie break. Both shared equally the first and second prize KES 30,000 (USD 300) & KES 20,000 (USD 200). Peter Gilruth and James Panchol ended up in fourth position with 6.5/8 to each earn KES 7,500 (USD 75).
Happy winners: Timothy Milton, Ben Nguku, Jane Wambugu and Mehul Gohil
The Kasparov Chess Foundation has been a key supporter of Chess Kenya over the years. Garry Kasparov visited the capital city of Kenya (Nairobi) during a whirlwind African tour when he was campaigning for the FIDE presidency. Kenya’s support for Kasparov was handsomely rewarded when the KCF made a donation of 5,000 chess sets to Kenya and sponsored GM Nigel Short’s visit to Nairobi in 2015. Further goodies came by when the Foundation sponsored the Nairobi edition of the Millionaire Chess in 2015 where the winner, Harold Wanyama of Uganda, won a fully paid trip for the MC2 in Las Vegas, USA.
We bring you three games from the event. In the first one Kenya’s highest rated player Peter Gilruth against 14-year-old Timothy Mwabu.
Peter Gilruth, highest rated Kenyan player, finished third
Kenya's 14-year-old talent Timothy Mwabu, rated 1395
The reigning Kenya National Ladies Champion Riya Shah
Kenya Open winner in the Ladies section: Jane Wambugu
Daphne Mwikali in action
| Rk. | SNo | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | Rp | rtg+/- |
| 1 | 12 | Nguku Namale Ben | 1903 | 7.0 | 41.0 | 31.0 | 36.25 | 2090 | 109.2 |
| 2 | 3 | Gohil Mehul | 2065 | 7.0 | 41.0 | 31.0 | 34.00 | 1880 | 4.8 |
| 3 | 1 | Gilruth Peter | 2164 | 6.5 | 42.5 | 32.0 | 32.75 | 2028 | -7.0 |
| 4 | 4 | James Madol Panchol | 1990 | 6.5 | 41.5 | 30.5 | 31.25 | 2057 | 52.0 |
| 5 | 28 | Brian Toboso | 1678 | 6.0 | 38.5 | 30.0 | 26.25 | 1879 | 104.8 |
| 6 | 14 | Joseph Muraga Methu | 1873 | 6.0 | 37.0 | 28.0 | 26.50 | 1739 | -2.8 |
| 7 | 16 | Kagambi Lawrence | 1858 | 6.0 | 36.5 | 27.0 | 25.50 | 1609 | 35.2 |
| 8 | 9 | Jackson Ndegwa | 1937 | 6.0 | 35.5 | 26.5 | 23.25 | 1757 | -7.0 |
| 9 | 15 | James Muchai | 1858 | 5.5 | 42.0 | 31.5 | 27.75 | 1754 | 32.8 |
| 10 | 45 | Austin Steve Okeyo | 0 | 5.5 | 40.5 | 30.0 | 26.25 | 1902 | |
| 11 | 20 | Austin Walela | 1785 | 5.5 | 39.0 | 28.5 | 25.25 | 1730 | 40.4 |
| 12 | 25 | Victor Hongo | 1705 | 5.5 | 35.5 | 27.0 | 22.00 | 1465 | 4.8 |
| 13 | 24 | Owen Kevin | 1730 | 5.5 | 34.0 | 25.5 | 23.75 | 1513 | 18.8 |
| 14 | 8 | Wachira Wachania | 1949 | 5.0 | 43.0 | 31.5 | 23.50 | 1725 | -32.4 |
| 15 | 79 | Wilson Opondo | 0 | 5.0 | 40.0 | 29.5 | 23.00 | 1916 | |
| 16 | 11 | Ricky Sang | 1917 | 5.0 | 37.0 | 27.0 | 21.00 | 1603 | -56.8 |
| 17 | 10 | Andiwoh Moses | 1927 | 5.0 | 35.5 | 26.5 | 22.50 | 1459 | -20.6 |
| 18 | 19 | George Getuma Omondi | 1796 | 5.0 | 34.5 | 25.5 | 19.00 | 1208 | -23.2 |
| 19 | 13 | Vasanth Ramesh | 1880 | 5.0 | 33.0 | 24.0 | 15.50 | 1414 | -39.6 |
| 20 | 31 | Jackson Okoth | 1651 | 5.0 | 32.0 | 25.5 | 18.00 | 1427 | -26.0 |
| 21 | 80 | Morell Omondi | 1590 | 5.0 | 30.5 | 21.0 | 15.75 | 1504 | 0.0 |
| 22 | 47 | Billy Chepkonga | 0 | 5.0 | 29.5 | 22.5 | 15.50 | 1477 |
Mehul Gohil, a writer and one of Kenya's best players, came second
CM Wachira William Wachania, eighth seed, scored 5.0/8 and lost 32 rating points
A colourful character: Jasper Hawi of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology
Playing blitz between the rounds
Arbiter Terence Chazima congratulates Riya Shah
The winner with her trophy: Jane Wambugu
The Nairobi skyline [image from Nairobi Excursions]
Another view of Nairobi, from above
The African buffalo on the plains of the Mara, on the lookout for the apex predator...
... who in this shot is just goofing around
Another danger that lurks, especially when you have to cross streams
Author Kim Bhari with a friend
All wildlife photos on this story by Vivek Shah of Nairobi,
during his recent visit to Masai Mara/Serengeti
Kim Bhari is an qualified accountant (CPA) by profession and he runs his own firm. He lives with his wife Mayuri and has a daughter Anoushka and son called Aman. His other interest include cartooning and ancient history.
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Kim is the owner and publisher of Kenya’s most popular chess website Kenya Chess Masala. He is also the long serving Chairman of Nairobi Chess Club which is one of the most active clubs in Kenya. He has raised over USD 50,000 for chess over the past 20 years from various sponsors. He served in various capacities in the Kenya Chess Association during the 1990s. Kim's desire is to become a full time chess journalist and then the President of FIDE in the next ten years! |
56th Nairobi Chess Club Championship
9/20/2014 – The Nairobi Chess Club is the oldest chess club in Kenya, and in late August it hosted the 56th Club Championship, with 78 players at the start. The event was won by former Olympian (1988/1990) and 1990 Kenya National Champion Larry Kagambi with a perfect score of five wins out of five games. Kim Bhari, Chairman of NCC, has sent us a big illustrated report.
"Battle for Migingo" Part Three
5/3/2014 – Migingo is one of the smallest, most densely populated pieces of real estate in the world. This small island has been a source of sabre rattling by both Kenya and Uganda, and the Nairobi Chess Club has chosen to name its matches against Uganda after this volatile battleground. The third edition was once again won by Uganda. Pictorial report by Kim Bhari.
Battle for “Migingo” in Nairobi
3/14/2012 – Nairobi Chess Club continues to make waves in African chess. In 2009 it organized the first Internet match against the famous Wageningen Chess Club, which had Jan Timman on board one. This year the long awaited match against the Uganda National the match affectionately called “The Battle for Migingo”. Big and sometimes startling report by Kim Bhari.
The chess brain – on the road to Siberia
2/23/2010 – When did the chess brain develop? Turns out that Caissa made it some 50 km south of Nairobi, Kenya, in the pre-historic wastelands of Olegersaille. She called the bipedal primate Homo Sapiens. Today, 200,000 years later, the Kenyans are picking a national team to join their cousins from all over the world at the Siberian Olympiad. Spectacular pictorial by Mahul Gohil.
Kenya vs. Holland internet match via Playchess
10/8/2009 – It was a splendid idea – why aren't more people doing it? – a match between a Nairobi chess club and a very strong Dutch team. The latter won 6-0, but the former had the pleasure of playing Jan Timman and other great player. All of this was conducted via the Internet on Playchess.com, and cost a fraction of what a face-to-face would have entailed. Big pictorial report by Mehul Gohil.
