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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter

THE chess season will move a gear-up with several tournaments lined up throughout the country.

The Crystal Candy Development Under-16 chess tournament, which begins this morning at Prince Edward School headline the events. The tournament has seen 230 players registering for the annual event which will have prizes in hampers and trophies.

The Arundel School Chess Tournament, where at least 20 schools are expected to take part, will also be in full swing while at Khami Prison, there will be the Behind the Wall Chess Tournament.

In 2022, the Zimbabwe Chess Federation and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services took the tournament nationally, which saw Khami Prison Complex host 169 participants from across the country, including inmates, ZPCS Officers and Civilians.

For the first time, inmates representing all of the country’s provinces took part, making it a national competition. At this competition, female inmates also got involved for the first time with 28 females taking place, which was a major development in the growth of the initiative.

The competition is expected to be bigger and better this year with more players anticipating in all categories. More than 30 professional chess players have registered for the event and fireworks are expected as inmates, ZPCS officers and professional chess players battle for supremacy over the chequered board.

Holders Tapiwa Jele and Charlene Mguni have made their intentions clear to defend their titles when ZPCS officers like Cyril Chigodo are promising to dethrone them.

The initiative has gone a long way in putting Zimbabwe on the global chess spotlight.