GM Timur Gareyev (2602) of the United States of America and WGM Josefine Heinemann (2274) from Germany are the Open and Ladies sections' winners, respectively, of the just concluded 2023 Kenya Open Chess Championship.  The two top players lived up to their favourites tag and clinched the titles in the competition that attracted 445 participants from 22 countries, with Kenya fielding 335 players.  Both open and women's sections were 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control.

Gareyev completed his impressive performance with a victory over Latvian GM Nikita Meshkovs (2585) in the final round.  On the way to the title, he scored an impressive 8.5/9, conceding just a half-point in the seventh-round clash with GM Safarli Eltaj (2601) of Azerbaijan. 

Eltaj finished second on 8/9, while Indian IM Samant Aditya (2496), GM Pavel Ponkratov (2496) and Uganda FM Harold Wanyama (2303) all tied for third place on 7.5, with Buchholz (first tiebreaker) favouring Samant.  Kenya's top seed CM Ben Magana (17th place) became the best home player in the championship.

Final standings Open:

In the Ladies' section that brought together 92 participants, the tournament favourite WGM Heinemann won all nine games.

WGM Josefine Heinemann of Germany (right) takes on Kenya’s Wanjiru Kimani

She was followed by Egyptian WGM sisters Wafa Shrook (2138) and Wafa Shaheda (2099), who tied on 7.5 points. Ugandan Woman Fide Master Peninah Nangabo(1809)  and Kenyan Woman Candidate Master Joyce Nyaruai (1662), shared fourth place with points. Nyaruai was Kenya's best performer in the ladies' section.

Final standings Women:

Other winners include South Africa's IM Karsten Jan(2292), winner of the junior Open Section with his compatriot FM Mhango Banele(2213) and Kenyan Oluka Mcligeyo Robert (2027) tied up in second position. Ugandan Sana Omprakash Kayyar(1412) emerged the best junior in the ladies' section closely followed by two Kenyans Mercy Ingado(1248) and Elizabeth Cassidy(1428). Zambian Kiddy Makwaya(1967) was the best veteran closely followed by Kenyan FM Martin Gateri (2045)and Peter Gilruth(1984).  

Zambian Aaron Banda(1949) won the best in People with Disability(PWD), while Ugandan ACM Masiko Ezekiel(1806) and Kenyan Clement Miheso(1594) took second and third places, respectively. Kenyan Mercy Cherono(1263), Merciline Anjenjo(Unrated) and Mary Nduku(unrated) were the best PWD in the ladies category.

Complete resutls

The six-day event held at Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi was the biggest and most prestigious chess championship ever held in the country, with all the top 10 players in both the Open and Ladies' sections receiving cash prizes. 

The Kenya Open Chess Championship is the largest and most lucrative international tournament in Africa. The first edition was held in 1979 when the event was known as the Panpaper Open sponsored by Panafrican Paper Mills (EA) Limited until the early 90s.

This year's event was the 31st edition, jointly organized by Chess Kenya and Terrian Chess Africa, and, for the first time in its history, featured ten grandmasters, including three women grandmasters. 

This year's edition was sponsored by Safaricom PLC and Kenya Commercial Bank(KCB). The total prize fund was USD 43,000.

Text: Chess Kenya Federation (CKF)

Photo: Chess Kenya Facebook page