Sandrine Uwase will retain the female national chess championship title for a record third consecutive year.  This comes after she conquered all her first four opponents in the ongoing 2019 National Chess Championship at Onomo Hotel, in Kigali.

The 17-year-old won her two games in round one on Boxing Day before adding another point after a round three win on Friday morning.

But, much was to be determined in round four in the afternoon when she met the 2016 champion, Marie Faustine Shimwa, who was widely seen as one of her main challengers.

Round 4 was, indeed, a critical moment – a title decider. The winner would step an inch closer to the championship glory, with one round to play in the women section.

With the victory against Shimwa, Uwase retained the title with a game to spare.

In round one, she tamed Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Joselyne Uwase, 16.

After Shimwa, her other strong opponent will be Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Christelle Uwamahoro, 15, on Sunday. But this match might not count much for Uwase unless if she fancies the idea of a perfect unbeaten run, something she has done before.

CM Murara beats CM Kabera to take lead

However, while the teen maintained a steady lead in the women section, Joseph Nzabanita, the 2018 national male champion, had a rough start and his chances to retain the title hang in the balance.

In the open section, where eight rounds will be played, tough title contenders Candidate Masters (CMs) Godfrey Kabera and Maxence Murara had a good start; winning all their first two games on Thursday.

Early Friday, after round 3, they were the leading favourites until they got paired against each other in round 4 Friday afternoon in what was billed as the biggest match of the championship.

By then, the two – tied on three points after round three no losses to speak of – knew very well that whoever won would stand a far better chance to clinch the title. And, Murara won.

He now leads with a maximum four points going into round five, on Saturday afternoon, well-knowing that a win will get him closer to the title.

Last year, Nzabanita, a senior maths and statistics lecturer at the University of Rwanda’s College of Science and Technology, dethroned Dr Ben Karenzi, while Uwase defied the odds to retain the title after winning all her matches.