SPENCER Masango won the Easter Open chess tournament at Joina City in Harare.
The chess ace cruised to victory on an unbeaten run at the tournament and only shared spoils with Roy Mwadzura in a dull encounter.
Masango defeated top seed and Zambian, Timothy Kabwe in the final round. Kabwe had a perfect score before he met Masango in the deciding match. The Zimbabwean, however, executed a refined endgame technique to prevent the Easter Open championship from going north of the Zambezi.
The Zambian finished in second position with six points. Defending Champion Emerald had a nightmarish tournament as he suffered two consecutive losses to lowly rated players in the second and third round and a draw in the fifth round to finish on position 26.
With a 360-degree view of the CBD, the playing hall inspired some brilliant games in the event’s ladies’ section. Some creative displays characterised the third round of the ladies’ tournament on the two board top boards.
Colleta Wakuruwarewa sacrificed two pieces to expose Rhoda Masiyazi’s king to mating attacks on board two.
Masiyazi gave away her pieces in a desperate attempt to save her king, and the game quickly transposed to a lost endgame.
The top board witnessed the defeat of the recently crowned Girls and Women Champion Linda Shaba by Refiloe Mudodo.
Mudodo playing white pieces, seized the initiative in the middle game by occupying an open c-file, leaving her opponent in a crippled position.
However, the final round saw the shift of power as Valentine Pasipodya defeated Mudodo to claim her first-ever Easter Open title, and Mudodo was in the second position.
The title came as a surprise for Pasipanodya after a long absence from competitive play.
“I last played a chess tournament in 2017,” said Pasinodya, “in the last round, I wanted a draw.”
Defending champion and top seed Kudzanayi Charinda and Shaba were joint third.
Danmore Mashava won the development section.
This year’s event attracted more than 200 players and had the largest number of participants compared to previous Easter open tournaments, according to Zimbabwe Chess Federation secretary-general Todd Mapingire.
The tournament was sponsored by New World Property Managers, Crystal andy and Pulse Pharmaceuticals.
