The NCBA Chess Team has this afternoon been flagged off to Muscat, Oman for the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship that will take place from 1st to 12th November 2023.

The nine players led by Captain Mourice Obila qualified for the tournament after they won the 2023 Kenya Corporate Chess Championship in June.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the NCBA Group Managing Director, Mr. John Gachora said, “I am very proud of the team as they will not only be representing the bank but also flying our country’s flag high on a global stage. I wish them all the best and hope they make us all proud in Muscat.”

The NCBA Chess Team was formed in 2010 and has been growing steadily due to investment in the team by the bank. They have been attending multiple high-level tournaments to improve their skills.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to represent the bank and the country at the 2023 FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships. We have been practicing and I am confident that the team will perform well as we have done in the tournaments that we have participated in this year which culminated in us being crowned the Kenya Corporate Chess Champions. This is an ideal opportunity for us to test ourselves against the best Chess players from all over the world,” said Mr. Obila.

The tournament is open to teams with a FIDE rating under 2300. There are six championship titles in 3 categories to be awarded: Open under 1700, Women Under 1700, Open Under 2000, Women Under 2000, Open Under 2300 and Women Under 2300. The total prize fund for this year’s competition is 15,000 Euros which is equivalent to KES 2, 353,454.