Kenneth Boikhutswane
11 November 2005
LUSAKA: Botswana's top female player, Tuduetso Sabure, has taken her recent good run into the Africa Chess Championships in the Zambian capital Lusaka. Sabure has opened a one-point lead at the top of the women section of the championships after winning all her first four games. South Africans have suffered greatly from her reign of terror. Three top South African players and tournament favourites Denise Frick, Sandra Van Vender and Anzel Laubscher had no answers for her ferocious attacks. Sabure's performance has swung the pendulum from the South African favourites and some experts have already tipped her to win the crown. But with five games left to play, it is too early to make predictions.
Sabure, who said last week that her aim was to finish in the medal bracket was set to play against another South African last evening.
The other Botswana female player at the tournament, Tshepiso Lopang, has struggled and managed only 1.5 points out of a possible four. Her greatest
asset, the ability to thrive in complicated positions, has not been exploited fully and the safe play she has chosen has not yielded the desired results.
Grand Masters (GM) Slim Belkhodja and Ahmed Adly of Tunisia and Egypt respectively are leading the standings with 3.5 out of four. The two are yet to play each other and one of them is expected to win the tournament. Games scheduled for
Wednesday had to be called off due to a power cut at the venue - Chrismar Hotel - from Tuesday evening. The blackout meant that the players, who depend on their laptops for preparations suffered a double set-back. The games start at 3pm everyday. The tournament ends on Monday.
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