Technology to rescue Kenya National Chess League as other sports remain suspended : The standard Sports

The Kenya National Premier Chess League will resume in June, Chess Kenya has said.

The federation officials and club captains across the country announced the move on Wednesday, terming it a huge step towards ensuring the progress of Chess which has been on a lengthy pause since all contact sports were suspended in March last year due to COVID-19.

Speaking to The Standard Sports, Chess Kenya Secretary Anthony Kionga said the league will be played virtually with the exact dates for resumption set to be announced in the coming days.

Since the International Chess Federation (Fide) suspended in-person competitions due to the pandemic last year, virtual matches have been taking place across the globe thanks to leading online chess websites; lichess.org, chess.com and Internet Chess Club.

Kionga said Chess Kenya has chosen to go virtual especially with the prolonged and uncertainty of contact sports resumption in the country.

“This will be a huge relief to all Kenyan Chess players who have been eagerly waiting to resume play for over a year now,” he said.

“Digital is the way to go now that we cannot physically play due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are very lucky to have this opportunity of having to play virtually and for all clubs to agree to it shows just how far Kenya is willing to go to grow the game of chess.”

The 2021 Chess League will be open to all clubs, both from the Kenya National Premier Chess League and Kenya National Super Chess League.

Additionally, interested corporate clubs will register for the league with Sh75000 each, while university teams and private clubs part with Sh40000 and Sh10000 respectively.

The transfer window for players will be opened from May and will run until one week to the kick-off of the league, which will be played after every two weeks.

Defending champions KCB Chess Club, Black Knights and Light House are some of the teams that have already registered for the competition, which will last three months, with the winning team pocketing Sh200, 000 cash prize.

Players will be required to be on Zoom during the matches that will last one hour each round, while those who will be caught cheating will be banned, and their respective teams forfeiting the match.

Kionga added that a curtain-raiser tournament to jog the players’ minds will be held two weeks before the league start.