2012 Botswana Nat’l Championships
Botswana Chess Federation will on the 6th-9th April 2012 host the Metropolitan National Chess Championships at Yarona Country Lodge. The event is the final lap of the three-stage tournament.
The tournament will be played by 10 men and 10 women who were placed in top 10 at 2nd Qualifiers in Francistown. The drawing of lots will be done on the 5th in the evening at Yarona Country Lodge (18:00).
All the results and pairings will be posted in www.chess-results.com.The event is sponsored by Metropolitan Botswana at the Tune of P75,000.00.
~ Kelapile Kelatlhilwe (corekk2003@yahoo.com)
Among the players to take part in the men’s section are:
CM Providence Oatlhotse – Three-times National Champion, he won the second qualifiers thus making him one of the favourite to win it for the forth time.
FM Phemelo Kheto – Also three times National Champion, after taking a break from chess last year, he started playing this year and he has posted good results by winning Airfficiency Year Opener and also wining the first Qualifiers. He is the highest rated player in the tournament.
CM Barileng Gaealafshwe – He was the 2010 champion after convincingly defeating Providence and conceding to a draw with Kheto, Having played well at the All Africa game with a 67% score, he is among the favourite to win it for the second time.
Thabo Gumpo – Having played well at Commonwealth games last year winning the category medal and having represented the country at the Last World Olympiad he is also a strong contender to be in the top 3.
Moakofi Notha – The golden boy of 2011 winning silver medal at all africa games and 4th at commonwealth games, he is among the favourites. Last year he missed winning the championship by losing to Gaealafshwe the last round.
Dragon Kessilwe – He is the only unrated player in the tournament but he has an expected rating of 2099 , he came second at the 2nd qualifiers, he will definitely be a threat to a lot of top players, he once played in the finals and the elite chess is a known territory to him).
Goabaone Tangane the youngest player in the tournament, a form 5 student at GSS, he has posted impressive results this year and making him the highest under-20 player, with the mentorship of Master Oatlhotse as coach he can pull a lot of surprises.
Cinky Boikanyo and Mosenya Ndawana have also been around in the past championships. Thato Olebile is also one of the contenders has he has always brushed aside the like of Notha in the qualifiers, he is a youngster who we think can make it in the final 5.
Having to play all these the national team slots are at stake as there is a likelihood that the final senior teams will be announced immediately after the championships to kickstart the preparations for the Olympiad.
On the Ladies Section it will be decorated by titles with:
The only untitled players are:
WFM Kgalalelo Botlhole won the 1st and 2nd Qualifers making her the favourite top win it. But Tshepiso Lopang, Boikhutso Mudongo and Ontiretse Sabure’s experience may be handy for them to be contenders. Thapelo Francis of Mogoditshane SSS is the reigning champion and will be defending her title. The elder sister Onkemetse Francis will also pose a threat to the top players as she has always shown talent.
~Kelapile Kelatlhilwe
From Core Theraphy… (Official) CM Providence Bobie Oatlhotse and WIM Boikhutso Modongo are the 2012 Botswana National Champions.