Game Spotlight: African Zonals 1

In early May, Kenya had the good fortune to host the Zone 4.2 Chess Championship.  The Shaza Beach Hotel in Mombasa hosted this prestigious event, featuring teams from Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Seychelles, and the Kenyan host team.  The winner qualifies for the World Cup.  This is the last year that Egypt will take part, as Zones in Africa are being rearranged next year.

This year, Egyptian GM Ahmed Adly won Zonal 4.2 with a score of 8/9, with only two draws blemishing his record.  This game against Uganda’s IM Ssegwanyi shows his attacking prowess:

Among the most striking aspects of this game is the clock use.  To be a Grandmaster requires putting in a lot of time becoming familiar with all kinds of positions and tactics.  That familiarity really showed.  The clearance sacrifice on move 29 was played in under a minute (though Adly likely saw the possibility several moves before).  Similarly, the defective Knight fork on move 33 was played quickly.  In the end, Adly used about 45 minutes less time than his opponent.

 

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