THE Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) has named a strong 12-member men and women’s team that will raise the country’s flag at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad to be held in Budapest, Hungary, in September.
This year’s edition of the Chess Olympiad coincides with the 95th FIDE congress, set to run from September 10 to 23, 2024.
International masters Roy Makoto and Farai Mandizha are part of the men’s team which will be captained by Tapiwa Gora, while Kudzanai Charinda, a women candidate master, is part of the ladies team.
“We have assembled a strong team that we believe will make Zimbabwe shine at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad. These players have worked hard and demonstrated their skill at national and international level and we are looking forward to cheering them on as they represent our country on the global stage,” ZCF secretary-general Todd Mapingire said.
The men’s national champion Emarald Mushore will also be making the trip to Budapest as well as Vitalis Mapuranga and Roy Mwadzura.
In the women’s team, captained by James Vhezha, national champion Christine Makwena, Colletah Wakuruwarewa, Linda Shaba and Tatenda Zengeni will take part at the Chess Olympiad.
Mapingire also revealed that the team for the Olympiad will compete at the Minerva Risk Advisors-sponsored Zimbabwe International Open Chess Tournament that will be held on July 31 in the capital as they fine-tune for the Chess Olympiad.
“We are very excited that on July 31, we will be having one of the top tournaments, the Zimbabwe International Open Chess Tournament. We believe the tournament has come at the right time as we are expecting our team to use it as a preparatory competition for the upcoming Olympiad tournament,” he said.
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“We finished number 53 in the world the last time we took part and we need to improve our rankings this time around because we have a very strong squad with a lot of experience on the international stage.”
Zimbabwe chess team
Men: Tapiwa Gora (captain), Farai Mandizha, Emarald Mushore, Vitalis Mapuranga, Rodwell Makoto, Roy Mwadzura
Women: Vhezha James (captain) Kudzanai Charinda, Christine Makwena, Colletah Wakuruwarewa, Linda Shaba, Tatenda Zengeni
Officials: Todd Mapingire (chief of delegation), Clive Mphambe, Mercy Mushangwe, Agab Dozva
