Eleven-year Ian Murara Urwintwari left the country on Tuesday to compete at the World Youth Chess Championship, scheduled for December 18-29 in Dubai.
Ian Murara Urintwari, played his first game last evening. However, by press time, the outcome had not yet been known. Times Sport/ Courtesy.
Murara qualified for the world championships last month after dominating a U-15 national event held at Greenwich Hotel, which attracted eight players.
The Rwanda Chess Federation vice chairman, Kevin Ganza, told Times
Sport on Wednesday that Murara, who will compete in the U-12 category, left for Dubai in the company of his father Manzi Murara.
The youngster, a senior one student at Green Hills Academy, was due to play his first game on Wednesday.
Ganza said: “The federation has sent one chess player to represent the country in the World Youth Chess Championship in Dubai.”
The competition has attracted teams from 114 countries in both girls
and boys categories in the age groups of Under-8, U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18. Other regional countries that are taking part in the 11-day tournament are Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Sudan.
National event top 5:
Ian Murara 11 years
Layola Murara 10 years
Noella D. Karenzi 12 years
Christelle Uwamahoro 9 years
Kevin Ikuzwe 10 years
By Peter Kamasa , The New Times