Sixteen clubs in pursuit of checkmate

The 2019 Debswana Chess league promises to be an exciting season full of surprises. This was evident during the first games of the 2019 edition held in Gaborone this past weekend. The 2019 Chess league will be played by 16 clubs; Block 8 Club is a new entrant in the league. The next games will be played on the 31st of March 2019 in Gaborone. The defending champions, Enpassent chess club are leading the pack with 12 points after two games, however, Staunch Megastars club is close on their heels, with nine points. It might be too early to tell if Megastars poses a serious threat, however, consistency in terms of play might move mountains for them. The team that finished on second position last year, Black Bishops, has eight points and on position four while Chess Motifs, which was third placed, is now on position seven. Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) spokesperson, Kutlwano Tatolo observed that the 2019 edition threatens to be fiercer than the 2018 games. Tatolo told Sun Sports that most clubs that tasted victory are coming out more re-energized. “They all want the 1st position prize and take the games very seriously,” she said. Captain of Poisonous Snakes Club, Phemelo Khetho said that his club is focused on winning the league and so far, he is satisfied with the performance of the club. This past weekend he saw some of the club’s key players fail o participate due to personal reasons but promises to fire from all cylinders, going forward. Khetho, who is a national team player, noted that his club boasts of big brains such as Candidate Master (CM), Barileng Gaealafshwe and Ivon Makabe who is one of the top trainers and international Chess Arbiter. There is also former national team player, Kenneth Boikhutshwane and not forgetting youngsters and sensational Atlang Mosweu, among others. Poisonous Snakes is one of the oldest chess clubs and Khetho revealed that some of their challenges is competing with aging players who have other life commitments and not always available. He, however, noted that they are focusing in talent acquisition.