Ssegwanyi eliminated from Chess W. Cup
Ssegwanyi is out of the World Cup.
Kampala.
International Master (IM) Arthur Ssegwanyi might have bowed out of the Fide World Chess Cup in the first round, but he certainly turned some heads at the tournament.
In a maiden appearance for any East African at the tournament, whose format was changed in 2005, Ssegwanyi, with the fourth worst rating, matched his fourth-rated opponent Anish Giri despite losing.
All the top six-rated players scored straightforward 2-0 wins but Dutchman Giri easily couldn’t break through Ssegwanyi’s defense.
The Ugandan was resilient as he forced Giri to a draw on Friday in the tournament’s longest game so far (six hours). In their second encounter on Saturday, Ssegwanyi played an excellent game but made a strategic mistake just before the time control, trading his rooks for the queen.
For his exploits, Ssegwanyi departs the tournament at least Shs17m richer. The Ugandan qualified for the World Cup after winning the Zone 4.2 Africa Chess Championship hosted here in April.
