Lubango — Benfica do Lubango chess player Sampaio Ernesto reconquered his provincial title in Huíla, on Sunday (08), in the city of Lubango, with 5.5 points in 7 rounds played, resulting from four wins and three draws.
The competition, promoted by the Huíla Provincial Chess Association (APX), began on Feb 27th, with 23 players registered, three of whom withdrew.
In 2nd and 3rd place were Gloriosos FC players Honorato Pungo and Osvaldo David, from Ferrovia da Huíla, both with 5.5 points, resulting from five wins, a draw and a loss, the tie-breaking criteria of which ended up "favoring" Sampaio Ernesto, who did not lose any games.
In statements to the press, Sampaio Ernesto considered that he had played the "most difficult event" of his career, due to the competitiveness level, which is why the top 3 finishers had the same score.
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"However, I had more consistency at the first tables, so the title is indisputable for me. The secret was preparation, with several hours of analizes spent. For the national championship, I intend to have a good tournament and represent the province of Huíla with dignity," he reinforced.
In turn, the Chair of APX-Huíla, Brachegues Chaves, gave a positive assessment of the event, noting that the organization managed to meet the forecasts of the provincial calendar, despite registering an anticipation due to commitments of the federation of the sport.
He stressed that with effort and dedication and with some support they managed to hold the event over two weekends, a "well-achieved" championship with an acceptable technical level and venue conditions, where the champion has direct access to participate in the national championship.
He announced that the 2nd to 6th place finishers are qualified for Zone B, taking place during the current month in the province of Icolo & Bengo, and the association expects to work with these clubs in order to set the conditions to have them in the aforementioned competition, which grants access to the national championship.
He hoped that they would have a "good" event in order to represent the province, and given the technical level demonstrated by the provincial event, the athletes are well prepared.
Regarding support, Brachegues Chaves stressed that APX-Huíla continues to work towards securing a regular sponsor to address the organization's most basic needs, such as materials, particularly watches.
