By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
FORMER Zambian champion, Chitumbo Mwali assumed leadership of the ongoing Prestige Botswana Chess Open tournament being played at Legae Academy in Gaborone with just one round to go.
After eight rounds, Mwali, an International Master (IM), is on 6.5 points, same as local star Providence Oatlhotse, also an IM, but the Zambian leads on a tiebreaker having played stronger opponents thus far.
After leading the park for most of the tournament and decimating the Zambian top order, Oatlhotse fell to countryman Barileng Gaealafshwe in the seventh round to remain on 5.5 points while Mwali defeated fellow Zambian Musatwe Simutowe in the same round.
This meant that the half-a-point advantage that Oatlhotse had over Mwali turned into a deficit to the Zambian, who is now on six points, going into the eighth round.
But instead of tightening the screws, Mwali drew his eighth round game against another former Zambian champion Gillian Bwalya to move to 6.5 points and allowed Oatlhotse back into the game after he defeated a lowly-ranked Michael Masungwini.
This brought the two to 6.5 points and had Gaealafshwe and Bwalya breathing heavily on their necks with six points while four players, including Godwin Phiri, are on 5.5 points and all with a shout to win the tournament.
Mwali and Oatlhotse drew in round six and will avoid each other in the final round.
