By RONALD CHAWE –

THE Chess Federation of Zambia (CFZ) say it will use the national team second phase trials to select 10 players to compete at the Morocco 2019 All Africa Games (AAG).

CFZ president Mukubulo Chilufya said in an interview that the qualifiers set for March 8 at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) would see a team, to comprise five men and five women, picked ahead of the April AAG registration deadline.

Chilufya said it was important to select a strong team and find resources to prepare the
players for the Games held every four years though the chess team missed the last event held in Congo Brazzaville.

“We shall pick a team to represent Zambia during the second phase of the national team trials and we are confident of beating the registration deadline. From there, we shall go full swing to try and prepare the team to be ready and contest for medals at the Games. We have talent and I am sure will mint medals like in the past,” he said.
Zambia last sent a team at the AGG in 2011 in Maputo where International Master Daniel Jere won silver.

He said the Mongu tournament would afford the four-member team that would represent the country at the 2019 World Individual Amateur in Mexico City more game time to fine-tune for their preparations.
Meanwhile, Chilufya expressed happiness with new that chess would be included at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“This is exciting news for us which and we shall will need serious preparations if we are to stand a chance of winning medals at the Games. We have the talent and all that is needed is to invest on time and resources so that we can produce the ‘Crème de la Crème’ of players to contest for medals against the best players in the World,” he said.
Rapid and blitz are the formats of play being considered for the Paris 2024 competitions by FIDE.

The World chess governing body which was formed in Paris in 1924 would see the inclusion of chess in the Olympic programme at the games be an outstanding symbolic gift for FIDE’s 100th anniversary.