Uganda's highest-rated player Moses Kawuma (2217 FIDE) sent a report to The Chess Drum on Uganda's Olympiad qualifier. His brother Steve Kawuma bolted to an early lead and held on while Moses placed 4th-10th on 6-4. The last two spots will be determined by a playoff. These 12 players will compete in a single round robin in January 2006.

Here are his accounts of the action:

Steve won, he had 8 out of 10. I started off poorly with a win (my opponent didn't show up), then a loss to Okoth Joachim in a won position, then another loss to Mwaka Emmanuel, then a win against Mwinganisa (I won an exchange then blundered it back and reached an opposite coloured bishop and rook ending a pawn up and then won after my opponent made errors).

Then another loss to Bob Gilbert Bibasa (a painful one if I might add) and then a win against Senyomo George. I now had 3 out of 6. Steve at this point had 6 out of 6(!!!) and had already qualified with four rounds left. At this point things were not too good for me. I had a whole week before the next four rounds. I did not do anything concerning chess the whole week. I just fasted and prayed to GOD ALMIGHTY.

Stephen and Moses  Kawuma compete in the 2004 Olympiad in Mallorca, Spain.

HE has never failed me. In round seven I met a fellow Olympian Washaba Fred, he played poorly and I crushed him. In round eight, I met Mulambe Hassan, who started pawn storming with his king still in the centre. I sacked a pawn to open the centre and he thought too much and lost on time. I was now charged and fired up, but then fellow Olympian Isaac Munanira made calculations and told me that 6 points are enough to qualify to the next phase. In the next two rounds I drew both games in one move with Harold Wanyama who had beaten Steve in rd 7 and with Grace Nsubuga in the last round respectively and ended with 6 points which was enough to be among the 12.

final standings

steven kawuma 8
kabuye emmanuel 6.5
shadrack kantinti 6.5
wanyama harold 6
mwaka emma 6
isaac munanira 6
kakooza kenneth 6
zabasajja william 6
nsubuga grace 6
moses kawuma 6
bob bibasa 5.5
mulambe hassan 5.5
okoth joachim 5.5
bob bibasa 5.5

Moses Kawuma is a Information Technology student at Nkumba University in Uganda and is set to graduate in December 2006. He won the Ugandan Open earlier this year and played in the 2004 Olympiad in Calvia.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 20 November 2005