THE fourth edition of Minerva International Open Chess Tournament commenced with a moment of silence to honour the memory of visionary chess administrator Clive Mphambela at Joina City, Harare on Wednesday.
The nine-round open tournament, run on the Swiss system, has seen the top seeds assert their lead in the early going.
Defending champion FIDE Master (FM) Jemusse Zhemba, South African FM Banele Mhango, FM Roy Mwadzura, FM Joseph Mwale of Malawi, and International Master (IM) Providence Oatlhotse of Botswana have all collected maximum points after the first two rounds.
Meanwhile, previous edition joint winner Gillan Bwalya, who missed the opening round, managed to bounce back with a win in the second round.
Legendary Zimbabwean IM Kudzanai Mamombe is also firmly in contention for the top prize.
In the ladies’ section, Women Candidate Master Kudzanayi Charinda leads the pack with two points, closely followed by Colletah Wakurawarehwa, Melissa Zengeni, and Ropafadzo Dube, all of whom have the same number of points.
Christine Makwena, the National Ladies champion, is also in the running with 1.5 points.
The tournament will continue with three rounds on Thursday.
