The NCBA Chess Team has been flagged off to Muscat, Oman for the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship that will take place from November 1-12, 2023.
The nine players led by Captain Mourice Obila qualified for the tournament after they won the 2023 Kenya Corporate Chess Championship in June.
Speaking during the flag off ceremony, the NCBA Group Managing Director, Mr. John Gachora, “I am very proud of the team as they will not only be representing the bank but also flying our country’s flag high on a global stage. I wish them all the best and hope they make us all proud in Muscat.”
“We are grateful for the opportunity to represent the bank and the country at the 2023 FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships. We have been practicing and I am confident that the team will perform well as we have done in the tournaments that we have participated in this year that culminated in us being crowned the Kenya Corporate Chess Champions. This is an ideal opportunity for us to test ourselves against the best Chess players from all over the world,” Mr. Obila.
Last year, the team performed well in interbank chess Championship. They later participated in prestigious 2022 Africa Amateurs Chess Championship held in Mombasa as the team gained experience.
The tournament was the second edition of the Kenya National Corporate Chess, attracting 7 corporate teams. Among the teams include defending champion Equity Bank, NCBA, NCBA Loop, Prudential Insurance,Nairobi City county, Daystar university and USIU.
The tournament is open to teams with a FIDE rating under 2300. There are six championship titles in 3 categories to be awarded: Open under 1700, Women Under 1700, Open Under 2000, Women Under 2000, Open Under 2300 and Women Under 2300. The total prize fund for this year’s competition is 15,000 Euros which is equivalent to Ksh. 2, 353,454