The 2022 Kenya Open got off to a thrilling start at the Luke Hotel, in Nairobi. Round one saw Christian Nderi of Kenya, who has a rating of 1478, crushing top seed IM Arthur Ssegwanyi of Uganda, who is rated 2412!
The other major upset of round one was 2019 Kenya National PWD Champion Sadam Ali defeating Peter Gilruth of Nairobi Chess Club.
The 2022 Kenya Open has just over 200 players taking part. The Open section has 170 participants, while the Ladies section has 40 participants.
IM Arthur Ssegeanyi, FM Harold Wanyama and FM Haruna Nsubuga are some of the top Ugandan players taking part in the event. Uganda has twelve players in the event, with 5 of them occupying the top 5 slots.
CM Ben Magana is the top-ranked Kenyan player at 2088 and ranked 6th at the start. Joseph Methu of Kenya is the defending 2019 Kenya Open Champion. The 2020 edition was not held due to Covid.
Other top Kenyan players include 2021 Kenya National Chess Champion Martin Njoroge and 2019 Kenya National Chess Champion Mehul Gohil.
Spicing up the event are players from South Sudan and Lesotho.
South Sudanese players are James Panchol and Adol Makuach Dau, while Motlomeio Monaheng is from Lesotho.
The top prize in the Open section is KES 120,000 (USD 1,100). The prize fund in total is just above KES 550,000 (USD 5,000), making it one of the most lucrative events in the region.
WCM Joyce Nyaruai of Kenya is the top-seeded player in the Ladies’ section. WCM Lucy Wanjiru, the 2019 Kenya National Ladies Champion and WFM Sasha Mongeli, the 2021 Kenya National Ladies Champion, are the other top players in the event.
The 2021 World Amateur Ladies Champion Madelta Glenda is another contender vying for the top spot.
The top prize in the Ladies section is KES 80,000 (USD 700).
Photo credits – Chess Kenya Federation.
2022 Kenya Open on chess-results.com.
Aluta Continua on the 2022 Kenya Open by Mehul Gohil.
Joseph Methu wins 2019 Kenya Open.
FM Harold Wanyama wins 2018 Kenya Open.
