The African Individual Chess Championship witnessed its first major shake-up in Round Two, as the top two seeds—Grandmasters Bassem Amin and Ahmed Adly—were both held to surprise draws, giving a boost of confidence to the chasing pack.
GM Amin, the pre-tournament favorite, was held by 13th seed FM Marko Fadi in a tense encounter, while GM Adly was unable to break through against the 15th seed, Alaa Ahmed.
The results sent a clear message: no one is invincible in this year’s edition.
Elsewhere in the open section, the upsets kept coming. Uganda’s FM Haruna Nsubuga fought tooth and nail to draw with FM Ahmed Kandil, while Cameroon’s FM Patrick Ebosses and Zimbabwe’s Tapiwa Jele shared the spoils in a balanced contest.
With the giants momentarily slowed, six players now sit atop the leaderboard with perfect 2/2 scores: FM Michael Simpson, GM Adham Fawzy, GM Bilel Bellahcene, IM Hamed Wafa, FM David George, and IM Mohamed Ezat.
Their consistency has set the pace heading into a crucial third round.The early stumbles by Amin and Adly have done more than shake up the standings they’ve ignited belief across the board.
Suddenly, the lower seeds are no longer just hopeful participants, but genuine contenders, inspired by the cracks in the armor of Africa’s elite.
With the championship still in its early stages, the tension is already electric. Every board tells a story, and as Round Three looms, one thing is certain: no one is safe, and anything can happen. The race for the continental crown is wide open—and it’s game on in Cairo.
