Today

Women: Togo vs Rwanda

WCM Kosife Esse (1355) vs Layola Umuhoza

Ivana Claudia Eyram vs Joselyne Uwase (1551) 

Ama Edoh vs Aline Niyonsaba

Nafissatou Gbadamassi vs Christelle Uwamahoro

Open: Guyana vs Rwanda 

CM Anthony Drayton (2024) vs Fidele Mutabazi (1818)    

CM Taffin Khan (1900) vs CM Maxence Murara (1789)                            

Loris Nathoo (1665) vs Ian Murara Urwintwari (1677)                   

Glenford Corlette (1653) vs Alain Niyibizi (1756)

After rest day, on Saturday, and a bad day on Friday when they were hammered by Iraq and Jamaica, Rwanda’s Women and Open teams return to action today as they face Togo and Guyana, respectively, in the ongoing Chess Olympiad 2018 in Batumi, Georgia.

None of the players won their matches during round 5 on Friday.

In the Women section, team Captain Valentin Rukimbira, has rested Odile Kalisa who has not won a single match since Rwanda played its first round. Youngster Layola Murara Umuhoza, 15, now takes charge of board one. Reserve player Christelle Uwamahoro, 14, will play her first game, on board four.

In the Open team, Rukimbira rested Joseph Nzabanita as Candidate Master (CM) Maxence Murara returns to action after being rested for round 5. The CM’s son, Ian Murara Urwintwari, 16, takes over board three while reserve player Alain Niyibizi will, again, play on board four.

Rwanda chess federation president, Kevin Ganza, is optimistic for victories today.

Ganza said: "Guyana has a better average rating compared to ours but the difference is not so big, and our team will fight to win. We fought better opponents than Guyana already. For the Women, Togo has only one player rated just around 1300. We hope to handle them.”

The Women team has 4.5 points – all from wins by teenagers Uwase and Umuhoza in the first five rounds – and it heads into round 6 today against the Togolese side who have 3.5 points.

In the Open section, Rwandans still have 3.5 points. They face Guyana who have collected 5 points so far.

Eleven rounds will be played by all the nearly 200 participating countries.

Held every two years, the Chess Olympiad is the world’s biggest chess tournament – equivalent to the FIFA World Cup, in football. It is contested by the best players from all over the world, and comprises Open and Women’s tournaments as well as other events to promote chess.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw