The Mozambique Experience

The Mozambique Experience

Early Thursday morning we fly down do the land of our own..kahhina, home of our grand parents( me and mine). I am excited as this feels like an opportunity to brush up on my Shangaan (my granny would be proud). We touch down on the Maputo airport all excited about the prospects of seeing the beach, the fish market and the Mozambican night life...and of course the Chess games as they promised to be quite a spectacle with the top players of over 6 African countries  bound to clash over the chess board...it’s a looming quiet cold war.

After almost an hour of waiting under the scorching Maputo sun we  finally get into our hired car and drive to the hotel located just 5 kilometres from the airport and conveniently enough 3 km from  the playing venue which was just a walking distance to the South Beach. We were in the thick of things. We checked in and had some refreshments from the hotel, and then it was time to visit the fish market for our lunch. This was the experience I have been looking forward to the most.

The Maputo Fish market is a market place located on the South Beach front catering for the thousands of hungry lovers of the sea with a large variety of seafood, fresh fish straight from the nearby oceans: calamari ( not just the rings we are used to in South Africa but the full animal with a body and tentacles), oysters, lobsters, crabs, shells, angel fish and many more. The seafood lovers’ heaven on earth.

We walked around the whole market place taking pictures of the magnificent fish displayed in different sizes lined up in a huge hallway choosing the fish we would have for lunch. Our chosen restaurateur was packing it up for preparation...just as we would like to have it. We opted for grilled for the most that are grill-able

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Lunch was served and the experience was mouth-watering. The softness of the fish...the garlic taste and smell, the freshness was unquestionable. We ate until we were tired of eating. It is impossible to get enough of such goodness.

Thursday went on smoothly. We had a good day of acclimatizing to the Mozambican heat and the cool Maputo ocean breeze...who am kidding...the heat was not something we needed to get used to, Nelspruit is just as hot. We took a walk around the beach too careful not to get wet. I mean  it was only Thursday afternoon...there'll be plenty of time to get more than just our feet wet...if you know what I mean (*wink*)

Early Friday morning we wake up to the playing venue. The drive took exactly 4minutes. The organiser told us to be at the venue by 8am as the first round was scheduled to start at 9am. We kept to the time and we met all the African nationalities represented. Most notable is the ever so relaxed Zambian International Master Gillan Bwalya accompanied by his good friend and probably his student, Eric Siamayuwa. We met up with them in the morning and they shared with us the travelling pains of crossing Zimbabwe to get to Mozambique in one day. How they were given only 3 days to get across Zim to Moz and back; how this meant they had to travel over 1000 kilometres in one day and be sure to pass Zim on Friday otherwise they would run out of time. Hard to imagine how tired they must have been from so many hours of travelling. Yet they were there all smiles and ready to play.

Also present in the Moz Open was Malawi represented by their most valuable Chess export to SA, the very famous Candidate Master Joseph Mwale also know as "The Fear" (GM Fear to be exact) as he is known to inspire fear in the hearts of weaker Grand Masters. He was there to prove that International Masters are no threat to him.

Zimbabwean Spencer Masango looked uncertain about his prospects as he walked around looking shaken. One would swear he had already met The Fear...maybe they had a blitzing sparring the night before, I wouldn’t know. Also standing for Zimbabwe was a junior player named Roy Mwadzura who also gave an impressive performance.

Team South Africa also took the opportunity to introduce Mozambique to their newly earned Fide Master title in the person of the much talented Candidate Master Banele Mhango who was accompanied by Children Matter (his sponsor) representative Mr. Muzenda Solo and his talent Manager Mr. Eddie Bhila who both decided that since it is an Open tournament, why not join in the fun? Also from team South Africa was Mr. Alfred Pesa who is arguably the strongest senior player in the country (I could be wrong). Mr Pesa had unfortunately encountered the most bizarre kind of trickery at the border as he entered Mozambique on the Thursday afternoon. He accepted the exchange R1000 (One thousand rands) for 700 Mt (seven hundred meticais). By the way, the exchange rate for rand to metical is R1=4mt so it is beyond bizarre that a grown chess player would accept this. But we now know that there exist all kinds of hustlers at the Mozambican borders ready to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists. Some are suspected to use muti to disorientate their victim.  Mr. Pesa survived, the Mozambique Chess Federation took good care of him.

Team Swaziland and Team Lesotho were also represented in large numbers. No notable names from each of these teams sadly. In fact I was surprised to hear there was Chess in Swaziland and upon expressing this in my South African Swati, Vuyo  Nxumalo and his Swaziland teammates threatened to swear at me so hard that I forget my way back home with my "fong-kong Swati language" ("nalesiSwati sakho se fong-kong"). I could not dare take chances, I hear their ancestors fought many battles with curse words swearing at their armed opponents with such passions that they lost their senses and turned against each other.

The host federation was well represented by their top player, the nerdy Candidate Master Paiva Donaldo who was always noticeably dressed for the podium finish from day1. The man makes chess look like Quantum Physics. I was however looking forward to seeing Vasco Viageiro, the Moz top Junior Player whom I once watched beat Africa's number 1 on African Elite Online Chess Arena (it was on  time odds of course but I was still impressed).

The time was now past eleven and no single game had started. The Chief Arbiter explained that they had been waiting for a certain group of players and that they had finally arrived. The games would start at 12h00 and that we would have to play three rounds on the Friday so that we play only two on the saturday as they had a very important meeting to attend as the Mozambique Chess Federation Exec. Murmurs of protests were heard but quieted down with a promise to discuss the issue later on.

12h00 noon on the 14th of September 2018 the first round of the Mozambique BCI Chess Open started. On board 1 with a fide rating of 2300+ was the Zambian International Master Richmond Phiri followed on board 2 by his fellow country man and fellow International Master Gillan Bwalya with a fide rating of 2200+. On Board 3 was Malawian Candidate Master Joseph Mwale followed on board 4 by Mozambican Candidate Master Paiva Donaldo all with Fide ratings of 2200+. The cream of the Moz Open still unshaken. After round one they all remained as they were, at the top.

Round 2 started at 16h00. No ordinary person could have predicted what was to happen on this round; When the cream of the event was suddenly relegated to the lower boards so early; When suddenly the highest rated player of the tournament had to hope for second place. The pressure cook switched up way too early for IM Richmond Phiri when he faced with South African Muzenda Solo rated 1800+, a rating difference of more than 400 points. Maybe that is why the IM had 51minutes on the clock while Muzenda had only 12minutes. At 8minutes on the clock and a piece up against an IM who had 50minutes and a bad position, we still could not celebrate victory since a bad position was only a matter of opinion as a game could turn around quick as long as both kings were still standing. Besides, what is a minor piece lead against an IM?

Despite other IM's coming to board one to witness the humiliation of a titled player by an opponent he obviously took for granted, leaving with faces saddened on behalf of their fellow master who was seemingly pinning his hopes on time, we were still uncertain about victory. We had to wait. White in the verge of victory seeing that his time was going to give him problems, he offers black a draw to help him save face and also ease the pressure on himself. The International Master refused the draw. Psychologically this gave him some edge. Muzenda's draw offer meant to the IM that the player does not know how to finish him up; he is scared and probably worried about his time. Also, refusing the draw in an obviously lost position tells the lower rated opponent that the IM actually sees a win for himself in the position and intends to secure it, which adds the pressure on the time as Solo would now have to carefully assess, calculate and reassess and recalculate every move.

3 minutes on the clock and his King is being chased around by a Queen and a Rook, his own Rook, Queen and Knight are all on safe squares and as soon as black runs out of checks it will be game over. He just needs to make sure he moves his King to well considered squares and ensure he does not run out of time.

As the checks got fewer, pieces were exchanged and pawns were pushed. The ten seconds increments per move came in handy at this point and the IM just signed his score-sheet, wrote the scores, reached over across the table for Mr. Solo's score sheet and signed it then got up and left the board without acknowledging his opponent's victory. Not even a handshake from the IM. This was too much for Phiri to deal with in front of the crowd, he needed a quiet space somewhere alone where it would be safe for him to deal and possibly shed a tear.

There was great cheer all around the hall, players reaching out to Muzenda to shake his hand, pat his back and even give him hugs. He had brought down a Goliath on the Mozambican Soil and we were all there to witness it. He had achieved the impossible and made every player believe in themselves again. He had stood on the mountain top and shouted for all to hear that ratings are fallible and that IM's are just as much human as the rest of us. The man had become an inspiration just by winning one Chess game in a tournament of 7 rounds.

As we were leaving to go home for the night, Muzenda in wild excitement expressed that it would not matter if he never wins another game of this tournament. This win was enough for him. I have never heard a man glorify the name of God so many times as did Muzenda Solo after winning against IM Richmond Phiri. It had been a great day indeed. All Glory to the Almighty God.

Only two games were played on Friday. There was no way we could start another round at 8pm. Saturday the 15th came, it is round three and the injured IM is paired against a South African player again; The Fide Master-elect Banele Mhango also playing white on board 5. The game went on to a very tight position where every master I asked kept saying it was a draw; with light squared bishops on both sides and an equal number of pawns on the board; 2 minutes on the clock for both players but the pressure seemed to be more on the side of the young FM. After the bishops exchange, the pawns' race to promote saw the SA U/16 Champion falling a move behind and he gracefully resigned tilting his king and offering a hand to an IM who failed to do the same in his previous game.

It is quite interesting that after playing Mhango, IM Phiri was next paired with Mr. Pesa also of South Africa for yet another chance to redeem himself to the South African Chess Scene. He made light work of him. Not worth a page.

In round 4 Malawi's CM Mwale was paired against Zambian IM Bwalya and the two decided to save their energies for the next round and agreed to a contact-less draw after just 9 moves. I had to step up and remind them that the tournament rules do not allow draws before 10 moves are reached. It was the least I could do after Mwale bought me lunch on that day...and Gillan is just a cool guy. I could not bear to watch them both get given zeros on some technicality (*wink)

Round 5 started Sunday morning at 08h00am. An interesting arbitration challenge happens here. Still in the opening stage of the game player A plays his Knight to f3 and presses the clock. His opponent rises up and leaves the board. When player B returns he finds the knight has now been moved to e2 and the notation on player A shows the move Ne2. Player B confronted player  A about this concern asking how come is the Knight suddenly on e2. Player A simply replied "call the arbiter".

When the arbiter arrived on the board player A simply shows what his score sheet says and uses his last recorded move as proof and points out that player B did not have the last move notated.

Player B calls for witnesses from the board immediately next to theirs and asks them what they saw. One supports that he also initially saw the Knight played on f3, and the other claims he only looked much later and only saw the Knight on e2.

The situation was made even more stressful by the fact that player A spoke only Portuguese and player B could not understand Portuguese so every time one player explained his own version of events a translator had to be involved. Each time the translator was relaying to the other player what his opponent is saying, the other player had to interrupt and correct the version. This went on for almost an hour until it was decided that there was no way to satisfactorily resolve this matter. Players were now complaining that the game was going to delay the commencement of the next round and ultimately, the prize giving will be at mid-night if we try to resolve this.

The organisers ended up begging player B to let the matter slide claiming that "a knight on e2 does not greatly disadvantage your position just as a Knight on f3 does not necessarily advantage you". But player B was complaining as a matter of principle.

It was established that player B committed the first offence by leaving the board when his clock was running and it was his turn to play. In this case, as we are led to believe, two wrongs make a right.

Ten minutes after they decided to resume play player A gets up to go to the bathroom while his clock was running. Player B calls the arbiter and 3minutes is deducted from player A as punishment. Player B continues to check mate player A and the Arbiter pronounces that "all is well that ends well" asking player B to let sleeping dogs lie. Player B did but it still bothers him that the truth was still unknown and a player was allowed to get away with cheating just because the arbiters could not investigate. Player A on the other hand might be feeling unsatisfied that a player was allowed to get away with falsely accusing him of cheating just because the arbiters could not investigate.

In round 6 the fake smiles had worn off, the competition was approaching its most tense stage and the only person who seemed to have a more genuine smile still was Zambian IM Gillan Bwalya who was now paired with Zimbabwean Spencer Masango. Real fireworks on the board. Spencer came into the board confident after defeating Mozambique’s number 1 player Candidate Master Paiva Donaldo on round 5. He did not expect the fast blows from IM Bwalya coming at him from all angles. This loss sent Masango straight to the arms of Malawi’s Fear were the tender hands of CM Mwale were ready to smother him with a caress without care. It was really sad how The Fear kept his opponent hopeful that a draw was possible while Spencer's time kept running down. That game really died of lack of oxygen, as far as Masango was concerned, it was still salvageable. It is no wonder that 30 minutes after Mwale had left the board and the score sheets were signed, he was still seated on his chair analysing with anyone who would entertain him. The post-mortem was sad as everyone kept demonstrating to him that he was never going to be able to catch Mwale's last pawn with his Knight. "It was lost! Lost! Lost! LOST!!" said a disinterested Gillan seemingly tired of analyzing the same thing over and over.

It had certainly been a great Mozambique Experience for almost everyone who attended. The Moz Experience goes even beyond the Chess playing venue. Career Chess players know that the experience of a tournament is 50% on the board and 50% off the board. There's more than meets the page in this chess reporting. The night life of the Maputo Club scene would fill up even more pages leaving you dear reader gasping for air.

The Mozambique BCI Chess Open 2018 had more media coverage than a regular crime scene in a South African Township. More than four television stations were covering the event, interviewing local players, interviewing the event organizers and the sponsor's representatives on the scene. I guess this is what happens when a corporate sponsor gets involved with Chess; the sport suddenly becomes news worthy. The sponsoring bank could not allow for their good work of social responsibility to go unnoticed. It is indeed a lesson for tournament organizers to choose carefully who they partner with in the promotion of Chess, as the right partner could introduce you to new levels of exposure.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Mozambique Chess Federation for organisation such a fantastic Chess tournament in such a relaxed venue of Maputo. A big congratulations to the big winners of the night, IM Bwalya Gillan for winning the gold , CM Mwale Joseph for winning silver (both with equal points of 6/7) and the bronze medallist for the night, Mozambique's number 1 player CM Paiva Donaldo with a score of 5.5/7.

 

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