Africa
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Senterej: Chess with Ethiopian Flavor
Dr. René Gralla has done an interesting piece on a version of chess called “Senterej” which originates in ancient Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Gralla contends: Historians and experts in cultural studies always look towards India, Persia and Arabia – and some even turn to China, more recently – when they search for…
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GM Ashley treks to South Africa!
GM Maurice Ashley recently spent time in South Africa touring the schools and promoting chess. He was able to leave the students with some valuable life lessons. The host was David Berman who runs the program, “Chess for Change”. Ashley sent the following letter: Hey Daaim: I just came back…
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Angola hosts BGI International
This story came from “The Hindu” website who apparently got it from a Chinese site. I have corrected some of the misspelled names. Not sure who “Jhonis Rober” is. LUANDA (Xinhua): Angola is to hold the “Cuca BGI” international chess tournament from April 16 to 26 in the capital Luanda,…
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Moses Kawuma makes FIDE Master!
Uganda’s Moses Kawuma has been awarded the title of FIDE Master based on the strength of his Olympiad result. Kawuma scored 9/10 in the 2008 Olympiad to tally the highest win percentage in the open section. The Ugandan team had to forfeit two boards due to visa problems and both…
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Court to hear Wamala Appeal
Severine Wamala was convicted of several counts of rape in a highly-charged case last year that rocked Lowell, Massachusetts. The case pitted students at Lowell High School against Severine Wamala, a former mathematics teacher and respected chess organizer. Wamala had three children who were standout chess players… the two oldest…
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Africa crowns Jr. Champs!
2008 African Junior Championship Chess Association of South Africa pulled out all stops to make the 2008 African Junior Championships a memorable festival. Looking at the large collection of photos, it would appear that they succeeded in making the event memorable. One thing that did not change is the dominance…
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The Obama Challenge
The life of a politician is one of many twists and turns. It is a high-profile position and one that requires the public servant to be accountable for every single action. Perhaps no public office is under more scrutiny than the Head-of-State. President-Elect Barack Obama will soon find out the…
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Ethiopian Chess thanks Donors!
Ethiopia had a very difficult time getting to Dresden for the 2008 Chess Olympiad. Having to navigate through the challenges of the visa process, they were able to travel and make a good showing. Of particular note was Desalegn Fekadu’s draw with a GM Alexander Baburin of Ireland. Kebadu Belachew…
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Ghana sets Calendar for early 2009!
Eddie Lamptey-Thompson just posted a message on the ghanachess group about the Ghanaian chess calendar. Ghana has rejuvenated their chess community and played in their first Olympiad in over 20 years when they competed in Dresden last month. They will use this momentum to launch a strong campaign to popularize…
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