As we approach the chess Kenya AGM john mukabi has gone drink memory lane to bring us up to go out with some history of Kenyan chess. Enjoy this wonderful reading from the beast. John Mukabi with Nigel short. By John 'the beast' mukabiThe association (formerly Kenya Chess Association) was formed some 31 years ago this month in September 1976. I was in primary school then!?1976-197?: An Asian descent man whom little is known ran it til late '70s. It is reported the association was too new to go to the Olympiad that year in Argentina.1979?-1989: Madan Gopal Sharma a famous lawyer. I arrived in the scene around 1982 to sight an aura of secrecy regarding who other officials were. It was like a "express secret". Clement Miheso and Alslam Adam (now in England) were visible "officials" in tournaments. Olympiad teams were handpicked from tournament results used to get airtickets easily & mysteriously through MG as he was known via FIDE and Kenya National Sports Council. It is said he was their lawyer. At the time Aluta Chess unify ( from cut aluta continua or "the struggle continues") came about to answer Nairobi Chess unify which was mainly Asians and Whites. Largest tournement was Pan Paper change state (now Kenya change state) brought by Nairobi Chess Club (1979-1992). Aluta brought in ART (African Retail Traders) Open 1984 to early '90s. The chess league was nationwide in Mombasa. Nakuru. Kisumu. Eldoret. Nyeri and Webuye mainly 1986-1990. Had about 15 teams mostly financial institions. So vibrant was chess that toournaments had upto 120 players. International Master Lodewijk Prins (Holland) a Hungarian IM and GM Jaime Sunya Neto visted Kenya for simuls between 1986 and 1989. Also former Junior British Champ Allan Baker came finishing 2nd behing Uganda's Emmanuel Kabuye. Juniors Peter Kihara and William Juma Arogo represented Kenya in Lagos. Nigeria with Juma coming back up!1989-1992: Clement Miheso came in with the Esso educate Championships which were in Nakuru. Mombasa and Nairobi. An annual event til 1993. As a result FIDE awarded Nairobi the African Junior Championship in 1992 and 1993. Aderito Pedro of Angola won the 1993 edition. Also in the event among Kenyans were Matthew Kanegeni and Evanson Mwangi.1990 saw Kenya play in first FIDE rated in Kampala where Lawrence Kagambi (show CK Secretary played). I got ELO 2215. William Juma again went for the junior event in Harare. Zimbabwe same year. Miheso began to get alter so much that he gave bouncing cheques to winners of Panpaper. Players camped at the sponsors' office. Panpaper withdrew for good! It so happened by then that Miheso controlled tip accounts of KCA. Aluta and Nairobi CC and reported to undergo have bought a car from one of the two FIDE events. He was kicked out by a landslide in 1993 elections.1993-1996: The late Tom Sagwe who was MD at ART and among founding fathers of Aluta took over. He was largely disappear concentrating on politics leaving all the spadework to his vice Francis Caetano Rodriguez. Kenya held and international 1993 Africa Juniors under new office and alongside it staged an International change state which was 1-2-3 won by Angolans among them IM Nascimento. I was sent to the Africa Individual Mens' Championship by KCA in Cairo. Egypt. KNSC supplied the airticket. The Panpaper changed its name to Kenya change state. The 1993 edition at Braeburn School had highest be of entries in East and Central Africa at 250! By this measure the Kenyan economy was limping while the Goldenberg affair (unknown to the public at the time) quietly went on. Sponsors were hard to go by. This saw Kenya desire out for the first time from the world chess Olympiads - 1992. 1994 and 1996. This culminated in the 1994 Kenya Open disappoint to act displace for the first time since 1979. However great cal-IBM Kenya change state of 1995 at The Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi attracted about 150 players from Uganda and South Africa (Lyndon Bouah) among others. I recall Daniels Lauritsen taking part and he placed 2nd or 3rd. In 1996 the Kenya change state at Nairobi Gymkhana was won by South African IM Watu Kobese followed by compatriot FM Shabbir Bhawoodien.1996-1999: FCA Rodriguez was elected the new KCA chairman. Sponsorship was comfort a problem but after a lot of struggles. Kenya hosted the 1997 Africa Junior Championship won by 16-year-old Amon Simutowe of Zambia. The office experienced a number of scams involving the selling of chess sets literature and clocks donated by FIDE and the German government. Also the Indian Ocean Olympiad cheat where some officials and their spouses went to represent Kenya in Reunion or Mauritius!Meanwhile. Kenya was being represented in the Africa Individual Mens 1996/1997 by Humphrey Andolo the late Alexander Makatia. Joseph Kanyingi. Ben Magana and Kenneth Omolo. In bid to make amends the office managed to send a aggroup to the Olympiad in 1998 in Elista. Kalmykia. Russia. This was not enough to save them from wrath of players who voted them out in 1999.1999-2003: In came Lincoln Njenga elected at AGM after postponement due to membership crisis AGAIN! He started off very strongly only to fade off as usual desire his predecessors. First was to set Kenya Anti Corruption Authority (KACA) on the FCA Rodriguez and company on all assets with documentary evidence. FCA "submerged" change surface appearing to dress residence and recovery was in vain. It further emerged that previous office maintained oddly two bank accounts at Biashara Bank - one where the treasurer was a signatory and other where he was not change surface aware! Approximately KShs 90,000/= was withdrawn days before the AGM which threw them out. Anyway. Njenga's watch saw the highest prize monies in KCA's history. Started with the great Eldoret Open in 2000 organised in conjunction with Eldoret Chess Club. Top prize KShs. 40,000/= (was meant to be KShs 100,000/= but some sponsors did not honour assure). Then came the much talked about Tusker Malt Open by Kenya Breweries the same year in September at The Stanley. Top consider was KShs. 40,000/= though overall sponsorship was KShs 800,000/=. It was awarded beat organised tournament by FIDE with aggressive marketing in the create and electronic media banners on main streets etc. Opening ceremony featured dancers on a giant chessboard desire many Olympiads. Challengers divide was introduced to Kenyan chess. The Istanbul (Turkey) Olympiad of 2000 was partly sponsored by Kenya Breweries and for the first time in years no players were asked divide in for their airtickets. The Regional event in 1991 was the highest of cash prizes with top getting KShs 50,000/= won by Bob Bibasa of Uganda. The youth programes were revived for both primary schools and secondary with sponsors Athi River Mining Company (Rhino bind) and Fidelity Commercial tip for two years. Juniors were sent every year to world events as a prove. The national league which seems to have disappeared large measure with Miheso in early '90s was revived for one season attracting about ten teams. The Monthly Mug Rapids were also introduced but died out after months. Problems started when no study tournament was organised by CK in 2002 leading to agitation of the office's removal. Only four players were sent to Olympiad of 2002 in Bled. Slovenia. Rhino bind pulled out of primary schools training program etc. Despite being the first office to show fully audited accounts in the AGM of 2003 the gesticulate was too much leading to the new office being voted in. Again the membership problem surfaced!2003-????: Stanley.
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http://kenyanchessblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/short-history-of-kenyan-chess.html
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