Ben Magana wins 53rd Nairobi Chess Club Championship

Ben Magana wins 53rd Nairobi Chess Club Championship

Ben Magana won the 53rd Nairobi Chess Club Championship with 4.5 out of five rounds. He took home KES 7,500 out of the total cash prize fund of KES 20,000.

The event at the Goan Gymkhana Club took place on 27th and 28th August 2011. Forty-two participants took part in the event which was split based on estimated Elo into a Seniors and Challengers section to make the event much more competitive.

Brian Taboso, Githinji Hinga and Mehul Gohil tied for joint second place with 4 points each. They equally share the cash prize of KES 7,500. Brian Taboso took the runners-up trophy, while Githinji Hinga took the 3rd place trophy on tie-breaks.

It was interesting to note that the team for the forthcoming All African Games participated in the event as part of their preparations. These included Mehul Gohil, Ben Magana, Martin Gateri, Akello Atwoli, Githinji Hinga, Purity Maina, Gwen Jumba, Maria Rehema and Isabella Asiema.

This year’s event has seen some brutal action, with Peter Gilruth and Martin Gateri losing two games out of 5.

Rodgers Adai of ARM Engineering, a long-term chess aficionado, sponsored the event to the tune of KES 30,000.

Final Standings of the Senior Section

1. Ben Magana – 4.5 points (out of 5)
2. Bryan Taboso – 4 points
3. Githinji Hinga – 4 points
4. Mehul Gohil – 4 points
5. George Nderitu – 3.5 points
6. Hesbon Omanjo – 3 points
7. Ricky Sang – 3 points
8. Collins Young – 2.5 points
9. Joseph Atwoli – 2.5 points
10. Martin Oyamo – 2 points

Final Standings or of the Challengers Section

1. Vasanth Ramesh – 4.5 points (out of 5)
2. Magesh Kumar – 4 points
3. Peter Kinyanjui – 3.5 points
4. Keith Kithome – 3.5 points
5. Njuru Mwangi – 3.5 points
6. Kevin Riungu – 3 points
7. Tom Amwai – 3 points
8. Jeneby Mohammed – 3 points
9. Gweyani Jumba – 3 points
10. T. Ramesh – 2.5 points