Kenya National Championship, one of the most interesting and followed chess competitions in Africa, ended yesterday in a dramatic playoff at Charter Hall, Nairobi. The event attracted 203 players and ran for five days, from 26th to 30th December 2022.

Mehul Gohil and Joyce Nyaruai Friday reclaimed their Kenya National Chess Championship (KNCC) Open Section and Ladies Section titles, respectively. Both competitions were 9-round Swiss events with classical time control.

Just as many had predicted on Thursday evening, the Open Section’s winner of the competition was decided in a tiebreaker. Gohil, the 2014 and 2019 champion, outwitted Hugh Misiko in the final Armageddon game after they drew 1-1 in both rapid and blitz games. The two players had tied at the top on eight points after nine rounds.

Gohi’s hard-fought win was a sweet one since he lost to Misiko in the fifth round of the competition, which is one of those used to select the 2023 national team for the Africa games to be held in Ghana from August 4-19.

For their triumphs, Mehul drove home with a brand new Mazda Demio car for the second time in three years, while Nyaruai pocketed Sh100,000 (about USD 1000)

“This was very tough, basically it was like a penalty kick, and I am happy to have won. To become the best in chess takes years of practice and love for the game, so winning the car is a validation of the hard work,” said Gohil.

He uses the 2019 car for his own movement and is considering turning the second one into a taxi.

Gohil, the second finest chess player in the country with a rating of 2012, defeated the 2021 champion Martin Njoroge (1973) in Round 9 to force playoffs.

That game was a repeat of the 2021 final, where Njoroge carried the day in a blitz playoff after the rapid games failed to produce a winner. Then, Gohil and Njoroge tied on eight points in nine rounds.

Hugh Misiko said he never expected to reach the competition’s final.

“I just came to play chess and enjoy but not to win the car. I did not expect to go to the finals, and since this performance has motivated me to work hard, next year I must win with maximum points,” said the Eldoret-based businessman and chess coach.

CM Ben Nguku defeated Brian Kadenge to finish third with 7.5 points and claim bronze, while Njoroge, Matthew Kamau, Caleb Miran, Joseph Methu and Jackson Kamau all ended with seven points each, tying for fourth place.

Final standings:

WCM Joyce Nyaruai defeated a former champion WCM Lucy Wanjiru and the defending champion and the top-rated participant WFM Sasha Mogeli to top the women’s section with eight points and reclaim title she won in 2017.

"The competition was extremely tough. If you remember, I had a rough start by registering two draws in my first two matches. In my mind at that time, my campaign was over but the other players also stumbled and I was able to pick up," the champion Nyaruai said.

Having defeated her main rival Glenda Madelta (1565) in the penultimate round, Nyaruai he leapfrogged her by a half-point and needed only a draw in round nine to bag her second national title. Joyce secured it after beating against Wanjiru (1454) with the white pieces.  Madelta defeated Jully Mutisya (1460) to finish runners-up with 7.5 points.

The 2021 champion Sasha Mongeli (1726) finished third with seven points ahead of Wanjiru who scored 6/9.

Final standings:

Photo: Chess Kenya