Africa
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Africa Chess releases “Maiden Edition”
Great news! There is another outlet for African news. African Chess released its “maiden edition” with a number of interesting stories including a brief history of Malawian chess and GM Nigel Short’s visit in 2006. It was a watershed moment for the country who joined FIDE a year earlier. Africa…
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The Importance of Nakamura’s Trip to South Africa
Before going to Spain in an attempt to defend his Gibraltar titles (2008, 2015, 2016, 2017), GM Hikaru Nakamura traveled to South Africa for a visit and a series of exhibitions. There were a number of videos buzzing around in social media and the visions of over-excited South Africans made…
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Carlsson tours Kenya!
GM Pontus Carlsson is becoming a regular on the African scene to conduct training sessions. The Swedish national participated in the 2017 Africa Tour visiting Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. The trip, sponsored by the Paul Allen Foundation, was a rousing success and featured other Black chess masters including Maurice Ashley…
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2017 Cote d’Ivoire Team Invitational
Cote d’Ivoire, also known as the “Ivory Coast,” has been an active chess presence in West Africa. Under the leadership of Dr. Jean-Claude Essis Essoh, the Chess Federation of Cote d’Ivoire (FIDEC) has participated in the past few Olympiad tournaments and has been helping to lead an increase in popularity…
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African Junior Championships in Togo!
2017 African Junior Chess Championships(Lome, Togo) Togo delegation at the General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Daaim Shabazz. Togo is a small French-speaking West African nation of 7.6 million and a budding chess nation. The nation has been a member of FIDE since being welcomed at the 2012 FIDE…
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Egypt’s Bassem Amin breaks 2700!
GM Bassem AminPhoto by Anastasia Kharlovich Africa has its first 2700-rated player in Egypt’s Bassem Amin. It has achieved this landmark before other aspiring geographic regions. The 29-year cut his teeth on Africa continental tournaments and won the 2004 Africa Juniors. He is a four-time African champion (2009, 2013, 2015…
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Queen of Katwe adjusting to College Life
Five years ago, a book was released titled, “Queen of Katwe.” The book, written by Tim Crothers, received rave reviews. It highlighted the life of a 9-year old Ugandan girl who became enthralled with chess after following her brother to a club meeting. For others it would become a way…
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Egypt’s Adham Fawzy slays Modern Defense
IM Adham Fawzy has flown underneath the radar, but is primarily known as a representative of Egypt in African and Arab events. The 17-year old International Master recently shined in the Abu Dhabi International tournament in a scintillating game versus Iranian phenom GM Parham Maghsoodloo. He is following the path…
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Amin tops Africa, Lake Sevan… closing on 2700
Since 2004 winning the African Juniors and earning the IM title and winning the following year, Bassem Amin has been on a steady track to become the strongest player in Egypt. He now has a chance to make history by being the first player of the African continent to make…
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Zimbabwe’s Mandizha gets 2nd GM norm!
Farai Mandizha (Zimbabwe)Photo by David Llada Over the years, IM Farai Mandizha has made strides since coming from Zimbabwe nearly a decade ago. Initially, he developed a reputation for his blitz skills, but as he developed a plan for earning his titles, he focused more on incremental improvements. In this…
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