Zimbabwe Chess Federation president Muchakanakirwa Mkanganwi will not seek re-election at the upcoming general meeting set for early next month.
The seasoned administrator, who has been at the helm of chess in this country for over three years, transformed the federation into one of the best-run associations in Zimbabwe as they have spacious offices at Joina City in Harare as well as engaging well with corporates for sponsorship.
ZCF has been one of the most consistent federations and they held the CBZ Closed Chess Championship over the past week where Mkanganwi announced his intentions of not seeking re-election.
"I am happy that I played my part in serving ZCF as the president for the past years and it is time to say goodbye. I enjoyed working with all the chess stakeholders in good and bad times and my leaving the president's post doesn't mean I am out of chess.
"I am here to give hope and advice if need be and I am hopeful the incoming executive will take over the federation and steer the ship ahead.
"I am very humbled by the confidence the stakeholders had invested in me and I believe I worked hard to ensure that the sport grew in leaps and bounds.
"It was my duty to make sure that we engage sponsors and make sure that there is trust between the federation and the corporate world, a thing which I believe I left.
"There were many areas we were looking forward to improving and we managed to do so in the three years that we were in charge," said Mkanganwi.
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Mkanganwi was elevated to the post of acting president in 2019 after the ouster of Collen Tongoona and was duly elected in 2022.
Mkanganwi is a passionate chess player and is the founder and chairperson of the Chess-mates Chess Academy, a model chess school situated in Mount Pleasant.
Outside chess, Mkanganwi is a businessman and group chief executive of Pulse Pharmaceuticals, a leading wholesaler of pharmaceutical products in Zimbabwe which he founded in 2005.
Mkanganwi is also a non-executive director of Stanbic Bank.
Mkanganwi, during his time as the ZCF president, managed to bring to the federation varied business and corporate experience as well as a passion for excellence and development, attributes which have a lasting positive impact on the growth of chess in Zimbabwe.
