By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Liberia Chess Federation has kicked off the National Classical Championship, dubbed as ‘The National Classic Championship 2023’, with 20 individuals participating for one title.
The 2023 National Individual Championship officially kicked off yesterday, January 14, 2024, with an opening ceremony being held at the Sinkor Palace Hotel in Congo Town.
The 2023 National Chess Championship is the 6th edition of this premier chess event since the establishment of the Liberia Chess Federation in 2014. FM Barcon Harmon, James Tondo, Thomas Saah, and Bobby Ballah, won the 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 editions respectively.
The two-week tournament, pitting Liberia’s best 20 chess players against each other, will conclude on January 28, 2024.
20 players are competing in an 11-round cage fight to squeeze out the 2023 National Individual Chess Champion and fill the 5 Open Section slots at the upcoming World Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest, Hungary.
Before the start of the championship, the federation completed the first set of events for 2023, which include the 2023 Rapid Chess Championship (won by Thomas Saah), and the National Blitz Chess Championship (won by Kennedy Zinnah Kengo).
Speaking during the opening ceremony, LCF President, Thomas Karyah, described this year’s championship as an important event that is starting on a small note.
“This event is going to solve many of our problems about the quality of chess in Liberia, as well as the country’s representation in international competitions,” he said.
He said, with the National Classical Championship being live online across social media with video feed for followers, it is going to directly and indirectly support all of the Federation’s programs in order to create more opportunities for the game.
He noted that as people see the game being played in Liberia from the ongoing Championship, they are going to be motivated to participate or support, based on the quality delivered by the federation, most especially at the competition.
