Lubango - Chess player Honorato Pungo, from Glorioso FC from the province of Huíla, won Sunday, in the city of Lubango, the festivities of the “Nossa Senhora do Monte” Tournament, with 6.5 points, organized by the Provincial Chess Association.
The event was played over seven rounds, with the participation of 46 athletes from the provinces of Huíla, Namibe, Cunene, Luanda and Bié, an Open tournament, on the Swiss model, where girls were forced to play with boys in classic matches.
Of the seven rounds, the current champion Honorato Pungo had 6 wins and a draw. The 2nd and 3rd positions were athlete from Núcleo Giga de Luanda, master candidate José Borges, with 6 points and his teammate, Adilson João, with 5.5 points.
Speaking to ANGOP, Honorato Pungo admitted that it was a competitive and very balanced tournament, as players from several provinces attended, some with links above 1,900, which raised the level of the challenge.
“The tournament for me was very difficult, because there were theoretically stronger players, due to their international rating, but as a result of my preparation, I managed to win. It is a very important victory for Huíla, which shows that we are growing and we will do everything we can to maintain the brand and with better classifications”, he emphasized.
Tournament's internationalization
For his part, the president of the Huíla's Chess Association, Brachegues Chaves, considered the balance positive, they managed to reward everyone and hope that next year this dynamic will continue, the idea of the Association internationalizing the tournament, bringing players from other parts of the world, starting with those from the countries of the southern region.
He highlighted that in this tournament, there was a special edition, where the master candidate played blind simultaneously with six players from Huíla, of training class, obtaining three wins, two defeats and a draw, “enlarging the competition”.
The Association holds more than a hundred chess players in the province at several levels.
BP/MS/CF/DOJ
