Former Kenyan national chess champion Joyce Nyaruai won the ladies' section of the Eldoret Open Chess Championship with a perfect score. Her triumph comes after missing selection for Kenya's team at the upcoming Chess Olympiad in Kazakhstan. Nyaruai views the win as a key step toward reclaiming her national team spot.
Joyce Nyaruai, a former national champion, was omitted from Kenya's ladies' team for this year’s Chess Olympiad in Kazakhstan after placing outside the top five in selections. This exclusion prevented her from making a fifth appearance at the event, which she had anticipated. “I was devastated by the miss, but that is now behind me. I am looking forward to making a strong comeback this year,” Nyaruai said.
Over the weekend, Nyaruai launched her bid for redemption at the two-day Eldoret Open Chess Championship. Representing KCB, she dominated the ladies' section, scoring six points by winning all her matches and securing the Kshs.20,000 prize. “This win is the first step towards making it back to the national team, and it could not have come at a better time,” she added. Although national champion Julie Mutisya and Sasha Mongeli, the top two players, did not participate, Nyaruai noted her preparation to face them. “It is a bit disappointing that they did not show up for the Eldoret Open Chess Championship. I had prepared to take on them and even win,” she said.
In the ladies' section, Africa under-14 champion Elizabeth Cassidy, also from KCB, took second place with 4.5 points. Nicole Albright of Mavens Chess Club finished third, also with 4.5 points.
The open section was won by Ugandan player Wagodo Abdul Shakuru, who scored 5.5 points and earned Kshs.45,000. Shakuru, from Victoria Chess Club, overcame a near-miss in the first round by arriving just 20 minutes before it ended. Six players tied for second in the open with five points each: Brian Irungu, former national champion Mehul Gohil, Steven Okeyo, Victor Ngani, Yaak Garang, and Gabriel Njuki.
Team honors went to KCB for the best corporate performance, ahead of Equity Bank, while Mavens Chess Club won the best club trophy.