Gohil, Mongeli suffer upsets in Chess Championship

The impressive run by title favourites Mehul Gohil and Sasha Mongeli in the ongoing Kenya National Chess Championship came to a halt yesterday after they suffered their first defeats of the competition.

The competition, where a brand new Mazda Demio car is at stake in the Open Section, is being held at Charter Hall in Nairobi.

The winner in the Ladies Section will pocket Sh100,000.

Gohil, a two-time champion in the Open Section, was upset by Hugh Misiko in the fifth round, while Mongeli, the defending champion in the Ladies Section, was defeated by Glenda Madelta in the same stage.

While both Gohil and Misiko went into the fifth round clash on the back of four resounding wins each, the former champion was the favourite courtesy of being Kenya’s second finest chess player at the moment, and owing to his rich experience in the game of wits.

Only veteran chess player, and multiple Olympiad Ben Magana is ranked above Gohil thanks to his FIDE rating of 2132.

But despite being placed 23rd with a rating of 1785, Misiko showed his intent to drive home the Mazda Demio car, and make the national team by flooring Gohil.

In what has been described as one of the toughest finals in history of the Kenya National Chess Championship, last year, Gohil lost to Martin Njoroge in the blitz play-off after the rapid play-off failed to produce a winner.

Gohil is burning with the desire to make amends for that painful loss.

Following the loss, Gohil dropped from the top spot on the log to fifth with four points. Njoroge defeated Victor Machel to make it five wins in five matches, and top with five points.

While Misiko has also garnered five points, he is placed second because he has an inferior tie-break compared to the defending champion.

Jackson Kamau and Victor Ngani are third and fourth respectively with 4.5 points each.

Magana who outwitted Kelvin Ithagi to bounce back to winning ways and is placed 21st with four points.

The clash between Mongeli and Madelta was expected to be tough, and they did not disappoint.

The two players had won all their four previous matches and apart from being the defending champion in the Ladies Section, Mongeli is a Woman Fide Master and the top female chess player in the country with a rating of 1726.

Madelta, a student at the University of Nairobi, is one of the fastest rising female chess players in the country. She is ranked fourth with a rating of 1565.

On October 20 during the Mashujaa Day celebration, she made history by being the first ever chess player in Kenya to be recognised as national heroine.

The recognition came after she triumphed in the World Women’s Amateur Under-1700 section in Rhodes, Greece last year.  

With the round five win, Madelta who plays for Equity Chess Club, leapfrogged Mongeli at the top with 4.5 points. Mongeli has four points.

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