22 Apr 2024

Seventeen-year-old Women Candidate Master (WCM), Natalie Banda has defended her title as the champion of the annual Metropolitan National Chess Championships. 

The three-legged tournament was sponsored by Metropolitan Botswana with a whooping P152 800. 

Banda accumulated seven points to defend her title and walked away with P9 000, a gold medal and a trophy. 

She said luck was on her side as her closest rival, Women Fide Master (WFM) Naledi Marape, who finished second with six and a half points, was also going through a rough patch and drew most of her matches. 

Banda said the contest was a three-horse race between herself, Marape and WCM Amolemo Mosweu, who finished fourth with five and a half points. 

“We all had a chance of winning on the last day,” she said. Banda aso revealed that she was inspired by chess veteran and inspirational International Master (IM), Providence Oatlhotse, who emerged as the men’s champion and won the tournament for a record seventh time. 

Oatlhotse won with eight points and pocketed P11 000, a gold medal and a trophy. 

“I fared very well when playing lengthy games and the strategy of prolonging games worked well for me,” he said. 

Oatlhotse noted that he had been competing in the tournament since its inception 20 years ago. ENDS