FRANCIS CHIPALO writes
THERE should be no dull moments for chess this year with the re-introduce of the monthly zonal tournaments, says Chess Federation of Zambia (CFZ) president Mukubulo Chilufya.
Chilufya said it was important that chess always remained active in all the zones across Zambia.
Speaking to Sun Sports yesterday ahead of the February North – Western Zonal Open Chess Tournament, Chilufya said the federation had decided to re-introduce monthly zonal tournaments to keep players active.
“We are back again and have re-introduced the monthly zonal tournaments in an effort to keep Chess players active at all times. This is a countrywide programme,” Chilufya said.
He said that CFZ stopped monthly zonal tournaments last year due to financial hitches.
He said the first tournament (zone 7) slated for Trident College will take place from February 1st to the 3rd, 2019 and was set to attract over a 150 Chess players across the country.
Chilufya said the federation had also extended invitations to international players on the continent and was optimistic some would participate.
“Preparations for the tournament have reached an advanced stage and the executive is very active on the ground ensuring that the tournament is a success so we are looking forward to an exciting tournament,” Chilufya said.
And according to information obtained from its website, CFZ executive has indicated that it was serious about taking the game of chess forward in Zambia.
In a recent interview, Chilufya said the federation was set to introduce chess in schools to expose pupils to the sport.
The federation has come up with a budget spanning over a period of four years, worth K30.8 million (about US$ 2.7 million).
The federation was also in the process of putting in place a fundraising committee that will be responsible for coming up with specific short- and long-term strategies to source for the required finances for smooth running of the sport.