{UAH} Team Uganda in fine mood heading into the eighth round

Team Uganda in fine mood heading into the eighth round

 10 Sep 2016  Marion Malinga 

 Chess

Elijah EmojongCourtesy Photo

Ahead of the eighth round against Morocco in the ongoing World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, Uganda's untitled but rated 2096, Simon Gonza believes the East Africans are in good shape to compete against the North Africans.

After losing 3-1 to South Asian nation Myanmar in the sixth round, Uganda bounced back with a 21/2:11/2 win in the subsequent round against fellow Africans Angola.

Gonza who helped Uganda win both the third and fourth rounds with his victory against Maldives' Abdul Rahman Ali and stalemate against Mauritius' Chinasamy Devarajen is adamant the country's representatives are in high spirits heading into their game against a team Uganda beat 21/2:11/2 in the last round of the previous edition held in Norway two years ago.

"We are really having a good time," Gonza who traveled as International Master, Arthur Ssegwanyi's replacement- the latter failing to travel due to tight work schedule- said.

"The games are tough but we are doing well. We are going through Morocco's games and laying strategy on how to handle them and we believe we have a chance to win. We are still fighting to win gold in our group."

Last time in Tromso, Norway, Uganda beat Morocco then seeded second in Africa with IMs Elijah Emojong and Ssegwanyi on the team.

The duo is not part of the team which leaves FMs Harold Wanyama and Patrick Kawuma as the only two players in the current team who have faced the African giants before.

Gwokto La'Kitgum

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