Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE 2023 Steward Bank Easter Open Chess tournament officially kicked off in Harare this Saturday with over a hundred local and international chess players vying for honours in the three-day tournament.
The 2023 edition of the regional tournament has attracted 98 senior chess players as well as 60 budding players who also want to make a name in the game of the mind.
Players from Zambia and Mozambique have also made the trip to Zimbabwe to showcase their talents in the US$5 million sponsored tournament.
With the continued growth of the tournament and sport in general, Zimbabwe Chess Federation is hoping to transform the lives of the players.
“Chess is a game of great minds and that should also be transformed into lives and their lives must be reflective of how smart they are and we are busy making initiatives to empower them as we want them to have a good life,” said Muchakanakirwa Mkanganwi, Zimbabwe Chess Federation president.
The new partners are happy to join a growing sport in the country.
“Some of the benefits that we want to accrue is taking away society from drugs so if we empower them we give them a platform to move away from drugs,” said Brian Zungu, the head of business banking at Steward Bank.
The junior players are competing at Allan Wilson School, while the seniors are battling at the Zimbabwe Chess Federation offices in town.
The annual tournament will run till Easter Monday when the winners will be honoured.
