African Chess Confederation,
Zone 4.5 Chess President, Susan Namangale, has praised the Zambian Government’s remarkable support for the 2024 Zone 4.5 Chess Tournament held in Lusaka.
She said Zambia’s commitment sets a good example for other chess federations in Africa.
Namangale paid tribute to Zambia for hosting the championship over the weekend, which attracted participants from more than five countries.
She thanked The Urban Hotel for supporting chess by providing the tournament venue and accommodation for the players.
Namangale emphasized the importance of Zone 4.5 for the chess community in Africa, noting that many highly-rated players and international masters come from the zone.
She highlighted the crucial role played by the Chess Federation of Zambia in ensuring that Zone 4.5 remains active with very engaged chess players.
Namangale explained that Zone 4.5, which includes federations from ten countries in Southern Africa, attracted participants from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
She said although more countries were expected, the tournament was planned within a short timeframe of two months.
Namangale noted that despite this, the participation was impressive, especially in the under-16 category, a new addition to the Zone 4.5 Championship.
She also acknowledged the presence of several International Masters from Namibia and Botswana.
Namangale expressed her gratitude to the organizers and partners, including the Chess Federation of Zambia, Dadaz Chess Academy, Project Chess Zambia, Jesse Flowers Foundation, Kasparov Chess Foundation, and the Gift of Chess from Malawi.
International Master Kelvin Chumfwa has been crowned the winner of the 2024 Zone 4.5 Chess Championship, with hosts Zambia securing a total of nine medals.
Chumfwa triumphed over 30 competitors in the Open Section, finishing with seven points.
In the Women’s category, Zambia earned a bronze medal through Naomi Mwale, who scored six points.
Zambia dominated the Under 16 Boys’ and Girls’ categories, sweeping all top three positions.
Kennedy Shane and Alinuswe Namwai each claimed gold.
