Makwena in destruction mode at Zambia chess championships

Philemon Jambaya

Chess Zimbabwe’s Christine Makwena was in destruction mode at the 2023 Zambia Women Chess  Championships which were held at Lusaka Fairview Hotel and concluded on Sunday, 12 March.

And Makwena, a Zimbabwe National Women Chess Team player was in excellent form, scoring 6.5/8 points to earn a clear second position in a tournament she started as a 5th seed. She scored six brilliant wins, one draw and one loss to earn herself a silver medal in a tournament dominated by Zambia's top players.

Her only loss came against Zambian Woman Candidate Master Bertha Phiri in the penultimate round as she was headed for glory. She quickly recovered and convincingly defeated the eventual tournament winner, tournament's top seed and one of Zambia's best, Woman FIDE Master, Constance Mbatha.

The Zimbabwean earned a whopping 32.6 Elo Rating points which will significantly boost her international rating. She won prize money, a medal and a trophy for her fantastic performance.

Makwena was accompanied by fellow ZRP teammate Sally Murairwa who got a taste of her first international tournament outside the country. Sally had a flying start, scoring 4/5 in the first five rounds, but ran out of steam where it mattered the most in the final rounds. She lost the final three rounds to finish on 4/8 points.

Though outside the prize winners circle, Murairwa garnered a significant 44.4 Elo Rating points to boost her international rating.

Another Zimbabwean featuring at this event was International Arbiter Simbarashe Murimi.