ZIMBABWE men’s national chess team put on an impressive display at the 45th Chess Olympiad, held in Budapest, Hungary, securing a silver medal in Category C.
The standout performer for Zimbabwe was International Master Rodwell Makoto, a 37-year-old chess veteran. Makoto had a brilliant tournament, scoring an impressive 6.5 points out of 9 games.
His performance was highlighted by a strong win against a grandmaster and two draws against other grandmasters. Although he did not achieve the grandmaster norm, Makoto’s performance was crucial in guiding the Zimbabwean team to their podium finish.
The Zimbabwean Open chess team finished second in the Category C section, which featured 15 countries, including South Africa. The team tied on 13 points with Ecuador, but the South American nation edged out Zimbabwe on tiebreakers. Tajikistan claimed the bronze medal, while South Africa finished fourth, New Zealand fifth, and Algeria sixth.
The Zimbabwean chess team consisted of Tapiwa Gora, who served as the team’s captain. The team also included International Master (IM) Farai Mandizha, who achieved a score of 4.5/10, Candidate Master (CM) Emarald Mushore, 5/9, FIDE Master (FM) Roy Mwadzura, who scored 3.5 out of 8, and CM Vitalis Mapuranga, also with a score of 3.5/8.
In the previous 44th Chess Olympiad held in Chennai, India, in 2022, Zimbabwe’s Open Men’s team finished in 58th position. This year’s impressive second-place finish in the African standings, behind only Egypt, represents a significant improvement for the Zimbabwean squad.
The women’s team, meanwhile, finished in 9th position in the African standings.
