The inaugural Hamz Chess Challenge was successfully held at the Hamz Nakivubo Stadium with over 100 participants taking part.
The day-long championship was graced by Fide Master and National team captain Harold Wanyama, who also won the open category gong, beating Rajab Kamoga to second.
In the U16 category, Peter Clever Ntambi finished top, Deng Biar Deng stood tall in the U18 Category, and Patricia Ninsima won the U14 category.
Richard Tugume, the tournament director applauded Nakivubo stadium proprietor Dr. Hamis Kiggundu for considering indoor games when constructing the modern facility.
He believes that such modern venues will attract more competitions for the growth of the sport.
“Such an investor who invests in sports infrastructure for almost all sports needs support from both the government and the community. I encourage tournament organisers to prioritize such venues like Hamz stadium for the players’ and fans’ best experience,” he noted.
The top performers went home with exciting cash prizes including, among others, Shs1m and Shs700,000 for men and women champions, respectively, Shs750,000 and Shs500,000 for 1st Runners up, Shs450,000 and Shs300,000 for second runners up while the 4th placed got Shs250,000 and Shs200,000 respectively.
Other prizes included TV sets, trophies and medals for the junior players.