Jolly-Joice Nepando and Heskiel Ndahangwapo were crowned as the winner of the 2023 Namibian National Chess closed champions on Tuesday 21 March 2023 at the Nictus Cultural Centre in Windhoek.
Participants competed in the closed and B section, as the Namibia Chess Federation used the championship to scout for national team players.
Women’s Candidate Master Jolly-Joice Nepando delivered the best performance accumulating eight out of a possible nine points to emerge as the champion in the women’s closed section. WFM Rauha Mulisa failed to defend her title claiming the silver medal with 7.5 points leaving Lusia Namushinga to settle for a bronze medal.
After winning the Namibia Chess Federation national chess championship qualifiers in February, Heskiel Ndahangwapo won the men’s closed section title with 7 points just 0.5 points ahead of runners-up CM Charles Eichab and Bernhard Schwarz.
Heading to the elites
WCM Lishen Mentile and Philip Mootseng gained promotion to the elite section after they won the B-section women and open sections. This means that the two will compete in the closed section of the championship next year.
Mentile, Martha Shikongo and Venasia Shimanya completed the podium in the women’s section.
Namibia Chess National Team Squad 2023
Men
- Heskiel Ndahangwapo
- CM Charles Eichab
- Bernhard Schwarz
- CM Otto Nakapundu
- NM Goodwill Khoa
Women
- WCM Jolly-Joice Nepando
- WFM Rauha Mulisa
- Lusia Namushinga
- WCM Jamie-Nicole Beukes
- WCM Nicola Tjaronda
Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/NamibiaChessFederation