Team Profile

Tunisia is perhaps most famous for its history of both valor (Hannibal) and erudition (Ibn Khaldun). This Saharan country, neatly tucked between Libya to the east and Algeria to the west on the Mediterranean coast. Its chess history is ancient due to the popularization of chess by the Moors traveling across the Sahara.

It is ironic that Tunisia, one of the smallest countries in Africa, produced the continent's first chess Grandmaster in GM Slim Bouaziz (Morocco's Hichem Hamdouchi was the second).  Although GM Bouaziz is still an active player, another Slim has emerged.

Slim Belkhodja recently earned the country's second GM title and will lead the Tunisian side at Bled. FM Nabil Doghri returns for the Tunisian side as does Bled's leading scorer in Walid Chikhaoui who scored 8½-5½ in the Bled Olympiad.