The Equity Chess Team, facing an uphill battle at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships in London, found its fortunes dramatically reversed with the timely arrival of Ugandan FIDE Master (FM) Patrick Kawuma. His impactful debut coincided with the conclusion of the tournament’s first leg, the Rapid section.
FM Kawuma’s contribution was nothing short of pivotal. In the demanding Rapid format, he demonstrated remarkable resilience, suffering only two losses across eight games. His strategic prowess led to decisive victories over Sedykh Mikail (England), Eren Ataberk (Turkiye), and Aidithya Vaidyanathan (England). Furthermore, he secured hard-fought draws against formidable opponents, including International Master Tom O’Gorman (Ireland), Theo Khoury (England), and Hill Alistair (England). While his winning momentum was eventually curtailed by Skytte Trassmus (Denmark) and Grant Vidal (Sweden), Kawuma’s performance was a significant boost to Equity’s standing.
The team also celebrated the continued impressive form of chess prodigy Kyle Kuka, who maintained his winning ways by securing victories in half of his twelve games. Among those who succumbed to Kuka’s burgeoning talent were Nayberg, Simona (USA), and George Ivanov (England). Women Candidate Master Jully Mutisya also contributed positively, achieving favorable results against Franco, Gaston (Argentina), and Oliver Nilsson (Sweden). Despite entering the tournament as an acknowledged underdog, fielding only two titled players against a field of 160 grandmasters, Equity mounted a surprisingly stiff challenge.
Reflecting on his individual performance, Kawuma remarked, “When facing top players in the world, even collecting a single point is a very difficult task. I’m happy that I got a favorable outcome in six out of eight games. Though our team did not excel in this round, I’m satisfied with the outcome.”
The Rapid section, featuring 15-minute games, concluded on Friday, paving the way for the highly anticipated Blitz section (3-minute games), which commenced on Saturday. Equity’s team, initially possessing the lowest average rating, is competing against an elite roster of global chess talent, including Grandmasters (GMs) Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura of the USA, Alireza Firouzja of France, and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Former Women’s World Champion, Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia, is also a prominent participant.
Coach Moses Andiwoh expressed his satisfaction: “Some of our opponents had written us off. However, on the board, things have proven different. The addition of Patrick Kawuma to our lineup was a game-changer, and the results unequivocally prove it. At a team level, players did their best in this round, and we are eagerly looking forward to the Blitz round.”
Equity Chess Club and Mother Continent Club stand as the sole African representatives in the tournament, which boasts a substantial prize fund of KSh70 million. With the Rapid section now complete, attention firmly shifts to the Blitz segment, which promises to be equally, if not more, competitive. Now in its fourth leg, the 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship has attracted a robust field of 52 teams.
Captain Njagi Kabugu underscored the team’s commendable effort: “Our team is the best in the region, and it is made up of top players from East Africa. However, at the global stage, things are different, and games are tougher. The grit and resilience demonstrated by our team so far show the untapped potential of African players.”
Focus now intensifies on the Blitz games in the tournament, which began on June 10th and is scheduled to conclude on today.
