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IM Watu Kobese won the South African Open on tiebreaks over Jacques Ophoff, both scoring a sparkling 10/11. The two men met in the 8th round and drew their encounter. Kobese will once again don the South African jersey as a member of the Olympiad squad in Mallorca, Spain.
South Africa will perhaps field its strongest team in years since Kobese's hiatus the past two Olympiads. Kenny Solomon, who recently competed in the FIDE World Championships in Libya, finished the Open with 7-4.
The tournament was held last month as a parallel event to the World Amateur Championship which was won by Farai Mandizha of Zimbabwe. Mandizha, who earned the FM title, scored a blistering 7½-1½ while Jenine Ellapen of South Africa won the women's title with 6-3. Jerry Bibuld directed both events.
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